Gospel: Lk 17: 5 – 10
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “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’?
Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'”
Homily
As I read the Gospel passage for this weekend and its reference to unprofitable servants, I thought of the many times that I have heard trade union leaders call their membership to work to rule. I also remember thinking that the call to work to rule was totally useless because some many of their members already worked to rule, not spending an extra minute on the job and taking every day of occasional leave and sick leave that was due to them.
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All of humanity is called to journey towards the ultimate and total harmony which is God’s purpose for the world. Christians however have a special calling to be at the service of God’s purpose. We are meant to be active agents of the harmony which is our final destiny. As we live this enterprise we can be unprofitable servants, ‘working to rule’, accepting the status quo, never going the extra mile; so we keep the commandments, never infringing any of them, we go to Mass and receive Holy Communion but rarely engage ourselves with others, especially those who find themselves on the margins for whatever reason. When we live like that in no way can it be said that we have any interest in God’s purpose. We only think very selfishly of saving our own souls.
We can be however profitable servants in this enterprise but for that to happen we must be concerned not only with our own salvation but with making this world, as the song says, ‘a better place for you and for me’. Profitable servants in this enterprise do not accept the status quo. Profitable servants in this enterprise find ways of engaging the world, our neighbourhoods, our parishes, our places of work and our families so that they become better places, according to Christ’s understanding of better. Profitable servants go the extra mile.
The Gospel reading of this Sunday challenges us, as persons baptized and confirmed, to be profitable servants, Christians who go the extra mile for the sake of building a more humane and generous world. St. Paul describes this going the extra mile, which always causes discomfort as making up in our bodies that which is lacking to the cross of Christ. St. Paul thus tells us that we are associated to the mission of Christ which is God’s purpose for the world.
As we face this challenge we must not be fainthearted. Other human beings like ourselves have accepted this challenge and lived it. Our heroes in the faith, the saints, have all gone the extra mile, and all of us know of persons who live extremely generous lives, active in various types
of associations, all seeking to create this ‘better world for you and for me’.
The interesting thing for all of us though, is that the saints all considered themselves unprofitable servants. They always knew that, in spite of all they had done, they had not done enough. They never glorified themselves saying ‘Look at what I have done’. They remained humble knowing that whatever they had done was done solely because of God’s grace in their lives. They always thought that they could have done more. They were always in competition with themselves striving to do better and relying on God’s grace to do it.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, we thank you for accepting us unprofitable servants and associating us to your mission. Help us with your grace to understand that our vocation as Christians is to make this world a better place for all. Never let us glorify ourselves for what we have done. Always remind us that it is because of your grace that we can try to be profitable servants. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our mother and Jesus Christ, your son.
Amen
