Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 12, 2024
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.’”
I suspect that most of us have had this experience: Arriving home late from a long day at work, we found dishes to be washed in the kitchen, a hamper exploding with school uniforms and sports jerseys, or a homework meltdown commencing. When we most needed quiet, the conditions on the ground turned hot, and we needed to jump in and start serving…. again.
Was our response, in the words of the gospel, to “put on [our] apron and wait on” those in our care, regardless of our day of “plowing” and “tending sheep”? Or was our response something not fit for a FaithND reflection?
On the road up to Jerusalem, Jesus is teaching the apostles, and so is teaching us today. What is that lesson? Perhaps most simply, Christians serve. That’s the spirit of the Gospel. We serve others, we see it as a privilege, and we serve without prejudice or exception. It’s a perspective that is hardest when encountering those dishes and clothes and homework, but it is a gift of the highest order to be called and be able to serve others.
A second lesson? This is not forever. There will be days and years and times when we are not able to serve others, and in that hour, we will miss those days when we could. Work when you can, and raise others around you to do the same.
A final lesson? When we get in front of our Lord, we will be able, as “unprofitable servants,” to account for how we served. Let’s pray that when we see those piles of clothes, those dishes, and even the Algebra homework, we respond with the spirit of the Gospel. Our Lord is indeed grateful that we serve God’s creation when “commanded to do so.”
Prayer
Let us not boast, Lord God, about our accomplishments in your service. What good we have done has been due to your help, grace, and inspiration. Let us be aware of your assistance through fidelity, honesty, courage, and faith. If we are at peace both with ourselves and with others, it is due mainly to your help in keeping us from bitterness, hate, or jealousy. Let our kindness to others reflect your kindness to us. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Didacus is also known as Diego, and is the saint that the California city is named after. He was born in Spain at the beginning of the 15th century and, even as a child, loved solitude and had insight into the faith. While still young, he decided to live as a hermit and spent several years fasting and praying and working.
Seeking perfection, he was inspired to join the Franciscan order, and after becoming a member of a monastery, he tried to make himself the servant of everyone. He found ways to feed the poor who visited, giving them even his bread for the day. He had very little education, but many sought him out for his wisdom.
He went with thousands of other Franciscans to Rome to celebrate a great feast there. While there, many of his brothers got very sick as an epidemic broke out and Didacus worked tirelessly to care for them. Despite shortages of everything in Rome, he always had ample provisions for them. He miraculously restored many to health simply by making the sign of the cross over them.
He died of illness himself many years later, but because it was winter, several months passed before he could be buried. The faithful visited his body to honor him, and not only did his body remain incorrupt, it gave a pleasant fragrance.
The Franciscan mission that was founded in present day San Diego was named for St. Didacus, and he is patron of the San Diego diocese. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Didacus, you embraced poverty as a way to serve everyone—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Didacus in the public domain. Last accessed October 10, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
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