“When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do'” (Lk 17:10).

This can be a hard verse to digest at first glance, especially with our track record of slavery in the U.S. We need to remember and recognize that this was a teaching that Jesus shared in a different time period, in a different culture, and in a place far removed from any clear modern context. The master/slave relationship is also a theme that Luke returns to often.

Another important point to touch upon when reading the Gospels is that when Jesus made the statement that, “we are unprofitable servants; we have done what we are obliged to do”, we cannot read this verse in isolation from the full context of Scripture. Jesus himself modeled service at the last supper when he washed his disciples’ feet (cf. Jn 13:1-17). This was the lowest of menial tasks. St Paul wrote to the Galatians informing them that in the Body of Christ there is no Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male nor female (cf. Galatians 3:28). The point being that we all have a part to play in participating in promoting the kingdom of God.

The teaching that Jesus conveyed was that as a disciple we are not to seek adulation and glory. We are to serve one another. We are not to ask in the words of James and John, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left” (Mk 10:37). As disciples, we serve for the intrinsic joy of following the will of God. When I oversee students in our cafeteria during retreats and other opportunities, as they finish eating, instead of telling them to pick up after themselves, I begin to pick up their plates and trash. Some are quite happy to receive the service, some will say thank you, while others will join in to assist. My hope is that if I am willing to serve, so will others.

May we look forward to opportunities to serve Jesus today in our interactions with one another. In so doing, may we confirm the gift of our vocation of service. We need not worry about doing big and grandiose things for applause, we just need to begin to act as we are led, without hesitation or rationalization as to why we shouldn’t. Each chance we have, whether it be to smile, to hold a door for someone, to acknowledge a prejudice and be willing to interact with someone who we have considered as “other” in the past, to be patient instead of losing our temper, or any small act of kindness, is an opportunity to love, to find meaning, to serve. We and those in our circle of service will be better for the effort. And our country and world is in desperate need of some unconditional service.

Photo credit:

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO/POOL PHOTO VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

Link for today’s Mass readings:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111417.cfm