The Gospel opens with Jesus going through the towns and villages of Galilee. He is basically doing two things - proclaiming the central core of His teaching, the establishment of God's the Kingdom in the world, and realising it through restoring damaged people to wholeness in body and spirit.

But it is clear that Jesus alone cannot do very much. He is overcome with compassion for the enormous needs of the people, lacking all guidance, support and direction. He tells His disciples that, though the harvest is enormous, the labourers are so few.

He therefore extends the effectiveness of His mission by calling 12 of His followers and giving them the same authority and powers which He Himself has and to do exactly what He is doing - proclaim the Kingdom and bring wholeness into broken lives and communities.

The harvest is still just as great, even greater because there are so many more people in our world today. And the labourers are all too few. Let us not think just in terms of priests and religious. Every baptised person is called to work in the harvest field. How am I answering that call? What am I doing? How am I helping?