Monday starts the official Arizona monsoon season. It runs from June 15 to September 30. These dates were set by the National Weather Service in 2008. Previously, monsoon started when we experienced three consecutive days with dew points of at least 55 degrees. Aren’t you glad you asked? Monsoon season typically brings rain, lightning strikes and major dust storms (haboobs), so it is important for us to understand this and prepare for this season.

Seasons are also important in our Church. Take time to read Seton Family article entitled Ritual Reflections & Musical Musings. Steve Raml our Director of Liturgy & Music does an excellent job of explaining the seasons of the Church year and their implications for our worship.

The scriptures for this Sunday, this Eleventh Sunday in the season of Ordinary Time, give us a perspective on the seasons of salvation history. In our first reading from Exodus, God declares to Israel, “you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people”. He reminds them of how He rescued them from the Egyptians and is now making them, “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” in this season of the Old Testament.

In our second reading St. Paul explains, “that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” This is the season of the New Testament. We continue to live this season filled with God’s love through Christ and the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel challenges us to embrace this season of our lives and this season of salvation history. Christ sent His disciples out to declare, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He calls on each of us to make that a reality. Again, we are told in the Gospel, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.”

We see in these three scriptures this Sunday the three seasons of our salvation history:

• In Exodus God claims His people 

• In Romans God reconciled us and demonstrated His great love through Christ and the Holy Spirit

• In the Gospel, God sends us forth to bring about the kingdom through love and healing as laborers in the field.

Yes, we are called to labor. Whatever season of life we find ourselves in, there is work to be done. The work that each of us can do is unique to each of us and unique to the seasons of our lives. What we are called to do and what we are capable of doing changes. Our Faith lives are dynamic.

From time to time, it is useful to reflect on our lives and identify the seasons we have experienced:

• What have we accomplished?

• How has it shaped us?

• How as it impacted others?

It is even more important to anticipate the seasons that lie ahead. How prepared are we? What part does our Faith play? In the Gospel this weekend, Christ recognized that people were like “sheep without a shepherd.” 

Christ is ready to shepherd us through every season.