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 his brothers, the first Franciscans, “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. While he rebuilt the Church spiritually, and his example still inspires people eight centuries later, Francis simply did, “what was his to do.”
Jesus sees his Apostles similarly. Elsewhere, he calls them his, “servants.” They were elected by the Lord to work, to build the kingdom of God in four particular ways.
Using Gospel imagery, Jesus tells his Apostles they must:
Plow the fields, spreading the Word of God wherever they go by planting seeds of faith.
Tend God’s sheep, always keeping a shepherd’s heart, by seeking out the lost.
Wait on others, seeing themselves as those who come to serve, not to be served.
Eat and drink. The Apostles are called to prepare the table of the Lord by celebrating the Eucharist, feeding the first Christians with the Body and Blood of Christ.
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Which of these four things might the Lord be calling us to do?
Plowing the fields, spreading the Word of God; tending God’s sheep, seeking out the lost; waiting on others, being their servant; or eating and drinking, inviting people to the table of the Lord.
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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.”
We are simply God’s servants, his hands and feet in the world.
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Image credits: (1) iFunny, St. Francis (2) R. Weber, Tending the Fields (3) thenivbible.com
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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Jesus often uses strange, mysterious language to describe the power of faith.
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” he says in today’s Gospel, “then you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
I’ve never wrapped my arms around a mulberry tree, but I imagine I’d look like a fool if I tried pulling one out of the earth. After a tug or two, my arms would be scratched and red all over, causing me to lose heart and give up.
Not even the world’s strongest person could uproot a tree with their bare hands.
But with faith, anyone can do it, Jesus says, because faith derives its power from God.
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What does this mean more concretely?
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There are all kinds of unwelcome things – people, habits, memories, experiences, emotions – that get deeply rooted in our hearts.
We want them gone. We try to uproot them, but for one reason or another, we cannot summon the strength.
This is where faith comes in.
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It may require asking the Lord over and over again, but with daily faith the size of a mustard seed, that mulberry tree can be cast into the sea.
It begins, as with all things in the spiritual life, by turning to the Lord.
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Image credits: (1) A Christian Pilgrimage, WordPress (2) One More River To Cross, WordPress.com (3) Inklings Community
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward.
Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out ‘Lord, ‘ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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As we begin the month of November, the days become shorter, darker, and colder, reminding us that, like this calendar year, most things come to an end.
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On Wednesday, we also celebrated All Souls Day, another reminder of the quick passage of time. So many present were here to pray for their loved ones, who have gone home to the Lord.
The beauty of our faith is rooted in our belief in eternal life, that those who have died will, indeed, live again.
As Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.”
But the odd truth is, we don’t know what it’ll be like. Haven’t you ever wondered, “What is heaven like?”
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In my ministry, I’ve spoken with several people who seemed to be near the end, but came back to life. They described a feeling of warmth; of light; of being in the presence of their loved ones. They experienced a peaceful place.
But, again, what is heaven like?
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While I hope to find out someday, I’ve never been. But I’d like to share an image that I reflect upon from time to time. It’s something that I shared with my mother during her final days on earth. It was an image that brought her comfort and peace.
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When I was in college, I went to the Grand Canyon with several of my friends. When we arrived at the Northern Rim Trail, I was speechless. I’d never seen anything so vast, so wide, so colorful, so beautiful.
At first, it was overwhelming.
But after adjusting to the view, I reached out to put my arms around my buddies. Although the canyon itself never changed, somehow seeing it with my friends made it even more beautiful.
And, I thought, that must be what heaven is like.
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Upon arriving in the kingdom of God, I’m sure we’ll be amazed by its beauty – how vast, how wide, how colorful, how deep.
But after adjusting to this new reality, we’ll do what I naturally did while standing at the Northern Rim Trail: we’ll reach out for our loved ones.
Although God never changes, somehow our experience of being in God’s kingdom does, because the more people there are, the more beautiful it becomes.
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And, so, when I think of heaven, I think of my mother sitting on a park bench at the Northern Rim Trail. She’s safe; she’s joyful; she sees the glory of God.
It’s an incredible view.
But she’s also reaching out for me – waiting – until I come home. When I finally have the chance to sit next to her, somehow that same place will become even more beautiful.
If we expand this idea, then we might imagine all of humanity standing – or sitting – at the Northern Rim Trail. Imagine all of us waiting for one last person to enter the kingdom of God.
Once he or she does, our experience of waiting will be over; our joy will be complete. We’ll join hands and rejoice forever.
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Often, we dream of heaven being a place filled with Saints – gloriously crowned, bowed in humility, praising God with the angels.
But if you look at that the picture below, then you’ll see a familiar, perhaps more accessible image.
That, to me, represents “all generations.”
I see a father and his two sons. An elderly couple, perhaps married for half a century. Parents. Aunts. Uncles. Friends waiting for friends.
Who do you see on that bench? Who has gone before you into the kingdom of God?
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“They are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise,” Jesus says.
So, what will heaven be like?
I’m not sure. But something tells me, it’ll be even more beautiful than the Grand Canyon. And Mom will be there waiting for me with Jesus.
And not only her, but all who’ve desired to be in the kingdom of God.
There’s room for us all.
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Image credits: (1) www.cbn.com (2) Tyndale House Publishers, What Will We Look Like in Heaven? (3) Grand Canyon Northern Rim Trail, Chris Arndt
