the e-Testament
Luke 17: 5-10
The apostles came up and said to the Master, “Give us more faith.”
But the Master said, “You don’t need more faith. There is no ‘more’ or ‘less’ in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it.
“Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from ploughing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, ‘Sit down and eat’? Wouldn’t you be more likely to say, ‘Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I’ve finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper’? Does the servant get special thanks for doing what’s expected of him? It’s the same with you. When you’ve done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, ‘The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.’”
Prayer
Lord, please help me to remember You,
Through the words that You spoke,
And actions You shared onto others.
No matter how others treated You,
With your faith as Your heart,
And humility as Your language,
You always gave and wholeheartedly.
May we be reminded of the times You suffered,
Remained true to Your faith,
And Your way of life.
We pray that we will follow Your example.
Amen.
Let us now also pray to St. Francis…
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
Reflection
When we think of the word humility, what other words do we think of, are they words related to simplicity, gratitude, or perhaps even duty or discipline? How about when we think of our faith, do we respond with, ‘I must to do this’, or ‘I have to’. Rather, when do we remind ourselves how our faith are our thoughts and actions, all of which require humility, if we are to build our faith and serve God with all our hearts?
Jesus always encountered others, many whom believed in Him, and others who questioned even His purpose. It could be easier for us to remember the parables whereby people followed and trusted Jesus, but, how about those times whereby people were looking to expose Jesus as unfaithful and deceitful.
Despite all that Jesus endured, with every thought and action that He encountered, He followed His faith, and out of choice, without expecting anything in return. Sure, He was not always praised, but He chose to always bless others out of love and out of His faith. Such kindness that He shared speaks of such humility.
Let us now think about how often it is that we expect to be praised for doing what is expected of us – especially as Christians. Let us individually recall a time where we served someone else and did not expect anything in return. How did that make you feel, knowing that you helped someone out of good faith, and quintessentially humility? Let us leave those feelings with us for some time and ponder about how we choose to approach our faith in future.
Br Gregory Echegwo SDB