Gospel reading: Luke 17.7-10
[Jesus said] ‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!” ’
Reflections
This is a difficult passage, which on a first reading doesn’t seem to reflect God’s love a great deal.
Over time, I have developed a tendency to do things for others before allowing myself to spend time on my own projects. I already put too much ‘ought’ and expectation on myself, and then I let others add to the burden – ‘the hardening of the oughteries’.
Combine ‘at the table’ with ‘later you may eat and drink’, however, and I understand that even the worthless slaves will have some sort of place at some sort of table.
Even the dogs under the table eat the crumbs fallen from the children’s bread… though I find imagining myself as some sort of dog was not a particularly helpful line of reflection!
Perhaps it’s more helpful to ponder on Jesus as a pattern for us, who in his incarnation, took the form of a slave and humbled himself even to death on a cross (see Philippians 2).
The passage then becomes about what is proper humility, and the objective recognition of the reality that we are absolutely nothing compared with God, and absolutely nothing without God. Yet even we worthless slaves might eat and drink in due course at the table of God’s heavenly banquet.
A further note:
Each week God speaks through the word and the Word into the hearts of each one in the Shared Lectio group. But not only that. God can also speak to each one of us mediated through the reflections and words of the other members of the group. Their contexts, experiences, connections bring richness to my understanding and encounter with the passage… although I share only my own reflections on this blog.
-oOo-
Since April 2020, I have been jointly hosting a shared Lectio Divina group on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. These are my reflections only, during the prayer session and as I wrote them up. Please see my separate commentary and leaflet for more information about shared Lectio.
