Harvest Labor

 By Mike Hey


Matthew 9:37-38
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

This Gospel passage must have been on Jim Dunne’s mind as he approached me recently to join the PX90 Blog Team. Matthew’s call for evangelism resonated with me. My name is Mike Hey. Many of you know me from Holy Infant Parish and PX90. I have always enjoyed and benefited from our blog, and acknowledge the responsibility and trust placed in me. The big shoes of Fred Vilbig, Ben Harris, Jim, and the other writers will be a challenge to match and I pray my occasional message resonates as powerfully as theirs. I shared with my wife Lucy this writing opportunity and she reminded me (does so often) to keep it short and simple. It’s a blog, not “Atlas Shrugged”.

I had fallen away from the Church for a long time, but blessedly the Holy Spirit reemerged in my life three and half years ago, returning me to my Lord and Church. I am using this opportunity to share some thoughts and reflections with you that I have had preparing my faith Witness for the Holy Infant Parish Men’s CRHP (Christ Renews His Parish) this September 17-18, 2016. Shameless plug – if you have not attended CRHP previously, or it’s been a while for you, please prayerfully consider joining us.

Continuing on the CRHP Formation Team I volunteered to present a witness on spiritual renewal. Seemed like an appropriate topic for this fallen, now returned Catholic. Initially frightened about the whole witness process, as the writing progressed I found it to be cathartic. Prayerful reflection with appeals to the Holy Spirit for guidance enabled me to focus my mind and heart on this important message. Good family memories, and bad memories of past mistakes reemerged which I was able to examine at length. Researching supporting scripture passages was enlightening and fun. Our life experiences fashion the character and person we are today. Reflecting on my life before returning to the Church made me realize how much time had been lost that I’ll never recover. Sadly I missed out on a special friendship with Jesus, who would have guided me through the mess my life was at times. What little wisdom I have acquired in 60 years told me that I needed to stop beating myself up about these transgressions, make a full and complete Reconciliation (done), and resolve to live a Christ-centered life.

Most importantly, this experience has offered me a special opportunity to thank our Lord for the graces which comprise the rich life of faith I now enjoy.

Philemon 6
And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

A belated Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads and Grandfathers.