How are we to love one another?
MERELY SERVANTS
Lk. 17: 5-10
Jesus told a story that has never been and never will be popular. He pictured a servant who had toiled all day in the field, ploughing and tending sheep. Then at sunset, he went to the house and continued working. Even though his body ached with weariness, he was required to prepare and serve his master’s meal. Only after that was the servant allowed time to rest and eat. It appears that the master had no thought for the needs of his servant.
Our first reaction is to sympathise with the servant and think badly of the master. Domestic service is not a popular occupation nowadays and we often think of service as demeaning. Many of us are under pressure to strive for the top of the career ladder, where we can have authority over others, and the idea of serving others is contemptible. But is this the way Jesus looked at service? On the contrary, He, who was the Lord and Master, regarded Himself as the servant of all. He told His disciples that if they wanted to be the greatest in His kingdom they had to follow His example and be a servant. If this is how Jesus valued service, then serving others must be a privilege. How right is the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, to refer to himself as the • Servant of the servants of God".
Who is the Master in the Gospel story? Surely it is God, our Father, and we are all His servants. We owe everything to Him. He gave us our life, He keeps us in existence and He protects us from evil. Even the good that we do is inspired by Him. We can achieve nothing without His help. When we recognise all this, we realise what a privilege it is to serve such a Master. Far from being grudging and resentful in our service, we should serve Him with love and gratitude. The Psalmist expressed this thought so well when he wrote, "Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name give the glory." (Ps. 113b)
We express our service to God in various ways. We serve Him in our daily worship. We also serve Him by serving our own families. When husbands and wives love each other and care for each other this, too, is a form of service of God. They are fulfilling the vocation which God gave them. By setting their children an example of service they encourage them to work ways of serving others. Mothers often prove that they are the servants of their families. For example, when a family has been out from early morning until late at night and returns home tired and hungry, they usually look to Mum to prepare a meal for them. She’s tired, too, but she doesn’t think of herself. She puts the needs of her family first, just like the servant in the story Jesus told.
We all have countless opportunities to serve our neighbours. That neighbour may live next door, and need a little help with shopping or chores, or just a friendly visit and a listening ear. Or the neighbour may live on the other side of the world and need aid to provide basic necessities. This type of service will never dry up because Jesus said, "The poor you will always have with you.”
There will be times when we may find it difficult to serve God. The work we may find tiring and unrewarding, even purposeless. You might be helping an alcoholic or a drug addict to kick their habit and they keep sliding back. It is frustrating, but you mustn't give up hope. We owe it to God to keep on trying. This is the real test of service.
Jesus concluded His story with the words, "When you have done all you have been told to do, say, 'We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.' One saint who understood Jesus’ words and who modelled his life on Him, was St. Francis of Assisi. He said, at the end of his life, “My brothers, let us begin to serve God for up to now we have done nothing." Yet this was the man who from the time of his conversion spent all his energy in serving God. He punished his body, which he referred to as Brother Ass, to such an extent that he had to apologise to it before he died.
Lord Jesus, may our whole lives be one of gratitude for all You have done for us and may we be of constant service to You and our needy neighbours.
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I am a Capuchin Franciscan priest who wants to spread the Gospel of the Lord.
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