Tuesday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
Wisdom 2:23-3:9 | Psalm 33(34):2-3,16-19 | Luke 17:7-10
Today’s gospel passage from Luke is one of the most perplexing, especially in this age of political correctness and social equality. Viewed from an unflattering angle, Jesus’ words might seem tantamount to approving slavery: “Hey you, who said you can rest? It’s dinner time, you wait on me hand and foot first, then you can eat.”
But Servant of God is considered an accolade, a recognition that the individual is pious enough to be considered for sainthood, so that’s clearly a misinterpretation. What then is Jesus telling us with His words?
I think it’s this:
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
A servant is given food, shelter, rest and protection, not because he merits it in any way, but because the master chooses to offer him all that. In turn, the master expects that his will be carried out properly, swiftly, and without complaint.
A reasonable master makes reasonable demands on his servants, and ensures that they have everything they need to do his will and thrive under his protection.
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
Similarly, you have been showered with graces from my Father and your Father, not because you deserve them in any way, but because the Father wills it to you in His infinite mercy. In turn, He expects you to do His will, to love and serve each other in all things, willingly and without reservation or complaint.
His yoke is easy and His burden light, and He has given you all the love and mercy you need, and taught you how to love the way He wants you to. All you need to do…is His will.
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
It’s easy to grouse about the arduous labour of living the Christian life, to love those who don’t love us back, to turn the other cheek when insulted with calumny, to be “good children of God”.
It’s so tempting to crush our “oppressors” with every trick at our earthly disposal, to “just be me”, to be masters of our own destiny at the expense of our neighbors and the abandonment of our Creator.
It’s sometimes hard to remember everything given to us by God: our purification through Baptism, our instruction in faith on what it truly means to be His children, and particularly His command to “go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News” (Mark 16:15) by example,
in our thoughts and in our words,
in what we do and especially what we don’t do.
It’s a heavy cross if we choose to bear it all alone, to hold ourselves aloof from the living community of our brothers and sisters, each with their gifts from God. We can but come together and share these gifts, to serve and not to be served, and leverage on our collective “pool” of God’s graces to show the world the path that leads to salvation and eternal life.
We just need to pay more than just lip-service to our claim to serve God.
Lord, remind us always that we live to serve Your holy will above our selfish ones, and that you’ve already given us everything we need to do what is truly no more than our duty. May we always live in Your love, and visibly share that love with everyone around us. Amen.