Good News Reflection FOR NEXT SUNDAY: October 3, 2010 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Good News Reflection
FOR NEXT SUNDAY: October 3, 2010
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Parish bulletins, faith-sharing groups, RCIA:
For professionally published, printable copies of this reflection,
please go to Catholic Digital Resources:
http://catholicdr.com/calendar/October/27thC.htm - Preview a sample

Next Sunday's Readings:
Habakkuk 1: 2-3; 2: 2-4
Psalm 95:1-2,6-9
2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14
Luke 17:5-10
http://www.usccb.org/nab/100310.shtml
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_10_03.mp3

Next Sunday's Gospel reading is disturbing. After doing a lot of hard work and offering it for the glory of God, the last thing we want to hear from him is: "You're an unprofitable servant."

Whether the work we do is at home or on the job or in ministry, instead of getting appreciated and rewarded with a vacation, we get more work! In families, parents barely start to relax after a busy day when one of the kids needs help with homework. On the job, conscientious employees are given more work because of the failures of lazy colleagues. In the parish, most of the work gets done by only 10 to 20% of the people.

Jesus says that our reaction to all this should be: "Lord, I'm an unworthy servant of your kingdom, because I have only done what's expected of me." Is he implying that it's right to be burdened with more to do when we're tired? Not at all! What he is telling us is that there's a difference between doing what's required out of mere obedience and volunteering to go the extra mile because we love and we care.

Resting is important. Jesus took time out to pray and to recover his energy. Delegating work to others is right, too, so that we don't burn out. Jesus is the supreme example of a delegator who is also a servant. Balance is healthy and necessary.

However, most of us stop short of going the extra mile, and it's because we have an unbalanced view of faith. We're satisfied with a mediocre, half-hearted attitude, serving only when it's easy or convenient. This indicates a mediocre effort at spiritual growth. And then we're astonished that Jesus would suggest that we should be able to command trees to cast themselves into the sea. Sure. When was the last time you saw that happen?

Here's the connection between doing more than the minimum and having a supernatural faith: For both to occur, we have to know that God's love is complete and unconditional and available all the time and that from this comes his desire to serve us. Knowing this, we're confident that he can accomplish anything he wants in us and through us. If we care like he cares, we go the extra mile with him. If we get hurt or tired, he restores us. Do you really believe that yet?

Questions for Personal Reflection:
What's the mulberry tree in your life? What problem is so deeply rooted that it seems immoveable? Who in your life is so stuck in sin that you've lost hope for change? Can you be a worthy servant of God and surprise that person with gestures of love that are unexpected and unrequested?

Questions for Family & Community Faith Sharing:
Describe examples of service that show the difference between doing our duty and doing more. How does volunteering to serve above and beyond what's expected reveal God's love?

© 2010 by Terry A. Modica
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