[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 17:7-10

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

“We are unprofitable servants.” (Luke 17:10)

At first glance, Jesus’ words to his disciples may seem harsh. Essentially, he told them that it was not enough for them to just do what he commanded. Was he expecting them to slave even harder? Was he telling them that if they did more, they would be truly “profitable” servants who merited his pleasure? Not at all. We don’t earn God’s love anyway. It’s a gift he gives to us—one and all, profit­able and unprofitable!

Jesus’ parable shines a light on the kind of discipleship that he is calling us to, not the amount of work he’s looking for. We can respond to him like slaves, or we can be his friends. And if we have any question about which is the best approach, Scripture gives us a clear answer: at the Last Sup­per, Jesus told his disciples that he called them friends, not slaves (John 15:15).

It is very possible for us to work for God and yet never really know him. With a little determination, we could undertake all sorts of proj­ects for our parish or for the poor, either out of a sense of duty or out of a desire to ensure our place in heaven. But this isn’t what Jesus is looking for. He wants to have a rela­tionship of love with us, not one of fear or obligation. If we think like duty-bound slaves, we are missing the entire reason why God created us in the first place: to be in union with him in love.

Of course, there are things we must do as his disciples. There are commands that we must obey and guidelines that we must follow. But undergirding all of these must be the things we do simply because we love Jesus—things like turning our hearts to him every day and sharing his love with everyone around us, especially his little ones.

So how can you become a prof­itable servant of the Lord today? Maybe a good way to start is by ask­ing the Spirit to fill your heart with God’s love. Let that love awaken a deeper love for him in you—a love and a deeper desire to serve him.

“Jesus, thank you for giving me a share in your life. Now I freely give my life back to you.”

Titus 2:1-8, 11-14; Psalm 37:3-4, 18, 23, 27, 29

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

The “Right” of Gratitude

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin

Father Edward Hopkins, LC 
  

Luke 17:7-10

Jesus said to the apostles: "Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ´Come here at once and take your place at the table´? Would you not rather say to him, ´Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink´? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ´We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!´"

Introductory Prayer: Jesus, I believe in you, my Lord and my Creator! You have given me everything, and you owe me nothing. You have forgiven me everything when I owed you more than I could ever pay. I trust in your forgiveness and love, Lord.

Petition: Jesus, help me to be grateful to you.

1. Proud Attitudes: How often are we offended by how others treat us, by a lack of gratitude, respect or appreciation? However justified the reactions of our sensitivity, what lies at the root of our complaints is pride. Looking out from my own broken creaturely condition, I can’t help but see myself for more than I am and expect more respect from everyone – including God. Yet, before God I am but a poor, tiny and dependent creature. From him I receive all that I am and need. How can I demand anything from him? Even worse, how can I complain when I recognize that I am an ungrateful sinner who has denied the rights and love of my Creator?

2. The Fundamental Relationship: Our culture has become one of “entitlement.” We view ourselves as having rights – “just” expectations –, and we expect that much is owed to us. Thus we see children demanding what they want, spouses expecting their preferences to be respected, and the belief that government must provide us with everything. God gets thrown into the fray as well, so that he, too, must deliver according to our attitude of spoiled children. What we forget is that we have received everything from God and we owe him everything. Jesus’ image of the slave and master is not just a metaphor. Although his free and generous gift of redemption raises us up to the level of children and friends, he owes us nothing. Our fundamental relationship with God must be that of a grateful creature with a loving creator. We must start there.

3. Humble Attitudes: Far from asking us to act as “worthless slaves,” Jesus wants to free us from the pride that enslaves. The virtues of service, gratitude, honor and obedience may not be popular today, but they forever reflect the heart of a child of God. Jesus embraced all these virtues and the attitudes of humility that they require. My first duty in life is to serve and obey God. My duty of gratitude can never be exhausted, for he gives me so many gifts – life, faith, family, etc. –, and he leads me to a love that is self-giving rather than demanding my rights before God and others.

Conversation with Christ: Dear Lord Jesus, help me to embrace my condition as creature with humble simplicity. Open my mind and heart to the many endless expressions of your generous love. Teach me a gratitude that thinks more of you than of me.

Resolution: I will pray for the grace to show gratitude to God in my daily activities, striving to make these acts of gratitude occur.