Jesus said to the Apostles: “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.'”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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On his deathbed, Saint Francis of Assisi said to the first Franciscans, “My brothers, I have done what is mine to do. Now you must do what is yours to do.”
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Francis viewed himself like the unprofitable servant in today’s Gospel.
He didn’t need worldly accolades or praise for all he accomplished. While he rebuilt the Church spiritually, and his example still inspires people eight centuries later, Francis simply did, “What was his to do.”
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Jesus sees his Apostles similarly, calling them “unprofitable servants.” They have been chosen by the Lord to work, building the kingdom of God in four particular ways.
Using Gospel imagery, Jesus commands his Apostles to:
Plow the fields – spread the Word of God wherever they go, planting seeds of faith.
Tend God’s sheep – keep a shepherd’s heart, seeking out the lost.
Wait on others – see themselves like those who have not come to be served, but to serve.
Eat and drink – celebrate the Eucharist, feeding the first Christians with the Body and Blood of Christ.
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Which of these four things is the Lord calling us to do?
Plow the fields, spreading God’s Word – at home, at work, in the community.
Tend God’s sheep – seeking out the lost, caring for their souls spiritually.
Wait on others, be their servant.
“Eat and drink.” Invite people to, “Come and see.”
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“I have done what is mine to do,” Saint Francis said 800 years ago. “Now you must do what is yours to do.”
What is mine to do today?
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Image credits: (1) Fine Art America (2) iFunny Brazil (3) Holley Gerth
Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.”
And 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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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In April 2020, a ninety-nine-year-old British World War Two veteran, Captain Tom Moore, wanted to raise money to support people who became ill with COVID.
He promised to walk one-hundred laps around his garden with his walker before his 100th birthday, only a few weeks away.
His goal was to raise one-thousand British pounds, roughly $1,200.
Then his story went viral. What started as a humble effort to help a neighbor exploded into a global obsession.
Captain Tom captivated the hearts of 1.5 million people, raising over $40 million!
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Captain Tom’s story reminds us that God works in mysterious ways, often using simple ideas and ordinary people to change the world.
A mustard seed, as Jesus says in the Gospel, is the smallest of seeds. But when sown into the ground, it becomes the largest of plants.
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Consider another “mustard seed” story: Mother Teresa.
In 1950, she started a small religious order in India, whose mission was, in her words, “To care for the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society.”
Who would be interested in leaving a comfortable existence behind to follow her?
Today there are over 5,000 Missionaries of Charity serving in 139 countries with 760 homes for the homeless, the sick, and the dying.
Volunteers from our own parish prepare food every Monday morning in our soup kitchen and hand deliver it to the Missionaries of Charity in Newark, where they feed the hungry.
The world’s attention – our attention – turned to the poorest of the poor.
And all started with a single mustard seed 70 years ago.
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The same is true for the Church.
Jesus started with twelve Apostles. They were ordinary men; uneducated; tax collectors; fishermen; sinners. One of them, Judas, even betrayed Jesus, abandoning him and the others.
Mysteriously, the Church has grown since then by one-million percent! Nearly 1 in 6 people – 1.2 billion on earth – identify as Catholic.
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A 99-year-old man with a walker fundraises $40 million.
A nun from nowhere propels poverty onto the world stage.
A Church with one billion followers starts with twelve.
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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One of the joys of being a priest is celebrating weddings.
The ceremony itself may only last half an hour, but there are months of planning that go into it – everything from selecting a venue, to sending out a “Save the Date,” ordering the flowers, getting fitted for the tux or dress.
The day of the wedding, the dress has to fit perfectly. The flowers must be delivered on time. The best man must remember the rings. And, hopefully, any family drama is left behind.
If everything goes off without a glitch, then weddings can be a celebration of a lifetime, especially for the bride and groom who promise “forever.”
That’s the day two souls commit to merging into one.
As Aristotle once said, “You do not find your soulmate. You become soulmates.”
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus begins wrapping up his public ministry. Knowing that his crucifixion and death are near, he describes his relationship with his disciples in the context of a wedding.
Just as couples promise forever, so the Lord promises to remain with them – and us – always. After his resurrection, Christ will send forth his Spirit to teach and guide us. But like any couple, we must also do our part to remain faithful.
Those who do remain faithful are like the “wise” virgins in today’s Gospel, while those who drift away are “foolish.”
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To make more sense of this parable, consider how weddings were celebrated in Jesus’ day. All of the guests assembled at the home of the bride, awaiting the bridegroom’s arrival. Once he was spotted, the guests went out to greet him.
Then the bride and groom would lead a procession to the groom’s home where the couple would marry and celebrate, often for days.
Jesus and Mary were part of such an experience at the wedding in Cana. Remember, the hosts ran out of wine, so Jesus saved the day and turned 150 gallons of water into new, choice wine.
You can imagine how festive the days-long celebration became – and how many future brides put Jesus on their guest list!
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The problem in this parable is revealed once the bridegroom is delayed.
After the sun sets and the light fades into darkness, the guests begin falling asleep. Finally, at midnight the groom arrives, so everyone goes out to greet him.
Five of the ten bridesmaids run out of oil on the way. They ask their neighbors to share some of their oil, but they refuse. Frantically, the five foolish ones must flee into the darkness to look for spare oil at midnight.
In the process, they miss the procession and the wedding; they are locked out.
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The first Christians took this parable as a lesson in endurance. Immediately after the resurrection, the Apostles believed the Lord would return in haste. But years – decades – had passed and the Lord had not returned.
As a result, for some of the first Christians, hope turned into doubt, causing them to fall back into old habits and sinful ways. In fact, it was this – poor behavior and a lack of faith – that caused Saint Paul to write some of his pastoral letters.
If all of the first Christians were well behaved, then we’d be missing a large part of the New Testament!
They had to learn – as we all do – that it’s one thing to light a lamp; it’s another to keep it burning. Faith demands endurance.
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So, what does this parable mean for us?
Two things.
Just as those foolish bridesmaids could not borrow spare oil from their neighbors, so we cannot borrow someone else’s relationship with God. We each have our own – and are held accountable for it.
Secondly, that relationship must have enough “oil” to burn throughout our lives.
Meaning, it’s one thing to play peacemaker for a day. It’s another to be a peaceful person.
It’s one thing to be generous with your time, treasure, or talent once. It’s another to be a generous person.
It’s one thing to quote a bible verse. It’s another thing to live it.
It’s one thing to be humbled. Another thing to say, “It’s no longer I who live, but Christ living in me.”
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How do you keep oil in your lamp? How do you nourish your relationship with Jesus, merging your soul more and more with his? Are the two of you becoming “soulmates”?
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“Even if the master is delayed,” the Lord says, “blessed is that servant whom he finds watchful – ready – for his return.”
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Image credits: (1) Bride of Christ, Danny Hahlbohm (2) Pedersonrecovery.com (3) iStock
