Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

For: Tuesday, November 9, 2009

32nd Week in Ordinary Time

Memorial: St Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor

From: Luke 17:7-10

Humble Service
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [7] "Will any of you, who has a servant ploughing
or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once
and sit down at table'? [8] Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me,
and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat
and drink'? [9] Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?
[10] So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, 'We are
unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"

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Commentary:

7-10. Jesus is not approving this master's abusive and arbitrary behavior: He is
using an example very familiar to His audience to show the attitude a person
should have towards his Creator: everything, from our very existence to the eter-
nal happiness promised us, is one huge gift from God. Man is always in debt to
God; no matter what service he renders Him he can never adequately repay the
gifts God has given him. There is no sense in a creature adopting a proud atti-
tude towards God. What Jesus teaches us here we see being put into practice
by our Lady, who replied to God's messenger (the Archangel Gabriel), "Behold,
I am the handmaid of the Lord" (Luke 1:38).

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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries".  Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.  We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.

"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."  --  St Jerome

"The Father uttered one Word; that Word is His Son, and He utters Him forever
in everlasting silence: and in silence the soul has to hear it.
   --  St John of the Cross