Lk 17:7-10 Long Day at Work

Tuesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time
(Click here for readings)

Jesus said to the Apostles:  "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? ...When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

Being preachy.  Some people may consider St. Paul a little preachy, especially in his letter to Titus:  "You must say what is consistent with sound doctrine, namely, that older men should be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, love, and endurance.  Similarly, older women should be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to drink, teaching what is good, so that they may train younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good homemakers, under the control of their husbands, so that they word of God may not be discredited."

Wow!  Imagine giving a speech or talk like that today!  You would be booed off stage!

But what makes it possible for St. Paul to preach like this - and get away with it - are the sacrifices and burdens he single-handedly carried for his people, the people of God.  Paul is a true Apostle of the Lord.  He does not preach what he does not try to live up to.

On Monday, I arrived fifteen minutes late for the 6:30 am Mass.  I had forgotten to set my alarm clock.  When I heard the phone in the rectory ring, I immediately jumped out of bed and put on my clothes.  I instinctively knew I had missed something very important. 

Now imagine if I had preached to the people that morning about arriving late to Mass!  How horrible would that be!  I would be escorted out of our community.

And yet, we all know it is important to arrive on time for Mass.  And it is important to be dignified, temperate, self-controlled, sound in faith, love and endurance.  We need this.  We all need this.  We need it now.

We are unprofitable servants.   We want recognition; and yet we deserve very little.  We want compensation.  We deserve very little.  We want our names inscribed in the book of heroes.  We deserve very little space, for we have only done what we were obliged to do:  serve our Master, our Lord, our King, our Friend.

And yet, it is the Lord who serves us above and beyond the call of duty.  He serves us out of love, at no advantage to himself.  

We are truly "unprofitable servants." 

The Lord can accurately say this.  We should not be offended.  He is entitled to say it.  After all, He came for us, spoke to us, loved us - even while we betrayed Him - died for us and rose from the dead for us.  He did all of this for us. 

If there is anything we can do for Him, it is to serve Him, faithfully, even after we have put in some long hours at work.