Reflection for Tuesday, November 10, 1998: 32nd week in Ordinary Time.
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Authors
Horn, John
Issue Date
1998-11-10
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Essay
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en_US
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Abstract
Luke 17:7-10 "When you have done all you have been commanded to do, say, 'We are useless servants. We have done no more than our duty.'"||Out of context, these words from St. Luke can seem harsh. Placed in the proper biblical context, the servant in the parable is in a full-time relationship with the master. The servant lives in the master's house, and the relationship is not contractual, on a daily or hourly basis.|Full-time availability, humility and a healthy sense of duty springing from gratitude are emphasized.|When the parable is understood in terms of a personal full-time relationship with Jesus as the Creator and Master of this world that is our house, a sense of gratefulness can flow in our hearts. To experience relating with Jesus as Master frees us from task orientations that bind us. Instead of a taskmaster God, Jesus as Creator and Master gives all creation as a gift to us. And, when we daily taste the beauty of God's magnanimity in Jesus, our duty to serve as creatures who receive life and breath and everything is a natural response.|Questions that spring from an individualistic self-assertion of rights or a sense of personal entitlements become moot questions. In this unequal relationship between Jesus and us the questions that naturally surface are: How can I be more available to serve my neighbor who is as valuable as I am? How can I enjoy and preserve this good world for others? How can I more fully thank you, Jesus, my Master?
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University Ministry, Creighton University.
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These reflections may not be sold or used commercially without permission. Personal or parish use is permitted.
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Lectionary number: 492