Daily Gospel Reflection

Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.

November 14, 2023

Tuesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lk 17:7-10
Listen to the Audio Version

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.'”

Reflection

Michelle L. Ryan '97
Share a Comment

As the calendar year draws to a close, we will soon be flooded with solicitations for donations during this season of giving. Ironically, with just the click of a button we donate to local charities without even leaving our homes. In light of today’s gospel as God’s humble servants, what if we challenged ourselves to go beyond seasonal generosity? What if we started contributing our time and services throughout the year without expecting anything in return?

This past summer, we had the honor of participating in Notre Dame’s Family Volunteer Camp. On the first day of camp, our family worked on a non-profit farm, cleaning hydroponic equipment, harvesting vegetables, and moving mulch. We completed the week by volunteering at a nursing home and a shelter for expectant mothers.

At first, my young boys kept asking why we weren’t getting paid for so much work and how anyone could expect us to do this the whole week. But a transformation occurred by the end of camp—the kids began asking for more work every time they completed a task and remarked about how good they felt.

When I asked them what changed, they said they felt joy seeing the difference they made for others. They made human connections with strangers who soon became fast friends, from the new mothers and their babies to lively centenarians.

When it was time for us to leave camp, my children had a mission: to create everyday opportunities to serve others. Their desire to help others now exceeds the occasional volunteer work at school or church and occurs year-round. They look for small tasks like helping our elderly neighbor with her trash cans or picking up litter at the park.

As we make charitable contributions during the holiday season, let us pause and ask what more we can do. Challenge yourself to extend your generosity beyond the holiday season, and remember that we are servants of God simply doing “what we were obliged to do,” called by name by Jesus himself.

Prayer

Rev. Herbert Yost, C.S.C.

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 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. Laurence O'Toole

St. Laurence O’Toole was archbishop of Dublin, Ireland, and a great force for peace during a tumultuous time.

He was born 1128 and named Lorcán Ua Tuathail (his name is anglicized to Laurence O’Toole). He was the son of Murtagh, the chieftain of the Murray clan. When a neighboring king invaded, Murtagh was forced to give up Laurence, then only ten years old, as a hostage.

For two years, Laurence lived in a barren and stony region and was poorly treated. When Murtagh heard of this, he threatened vengeance unless the boy was handed over to the Bishop of Glendalough. Laurence was delivered to the bishop, and Murtagh hurried to visit him there. In thanksgiving, Murtagh vowed to God that one of his four sons would serve the Church. He asked the bishop to cast lots to decide which son should join him, but Laurence laughed and told him not to bother—he had already decided to do so.

Laurence was raised and educated by the bishop, and when he turned twenty-five, he was asked to be the Abbot of Glendalough Abbey. Laurence was a charitable and wise leader. When a famine struck the area during his first four months as abbot, he generously supported the villagers with extra food from the abbey.

Outlaws and robbers hid in the hills surrounding Glendalough and often threatened anyone who traveled through them. Laurence boldly spoke out against these robbers, and they responded to his rebukes by spreading lies about him. Laurence responded to the slander with silence, content to let the truth bear itself out.

When the archbishop of Dublin died in 1161, Laurence was elected to replace him, his election was supported by the High King and the community of Glendalough, but also warmly welcomed by the population of Dublin itself. Laurence's first plan of action in the city was to reform the clergy who worked with him in Dublin. Laurence asked the clergy to truly commit to a life of regular prayer and fasting, and he led the clergy in these disciplines with his own example—he wore a religious habit, ate with the clerical community in a common dining area, and observed hours of silence and vigil prayer. Every day, Laurence shared a meal with the poor and destitute of Dublin, and he sustained many others by paying for their housing.

Various Irish kings and chieftains allied with the Norman King Henry II of England and conspired to seize Dublin. The citizens of Dublin begged Laurence to parlay with the Norman troops for them, but Laurence was unable to prevent the Normans from entering the city. He did, however, succeed in stopping the massacre of Dublin citizens the Norman knights were beginning to carry out. In the ensuing years of political turmoil, Laurence continued to negotiate between the Normans and the Irish chieftains.

During one trip to England, Laurence visited the tomb of St. Thomas Beckett, who was murdered for disagreeing with the king and honored as a martyr. The next day, as Laurence was celebrating Mass, a man attending Mass thought Laurence would inspire the people as a martyr as well, and struck him on the head. Laurence fell to the ground, and the horrified congregation thought he had died. When Laurence regained consciousness, however, he washed the wound on his head, bandaged it, and continued with Mass. The man who struck him was sentenced to hang, but Laurence asked for his pardon and saved his life. (Seven hundred years later, when Laurence’s relics were examined, his skull carried the mark from this blow.)

Laurence fell sick while traveling to England to meet with Henry II and returned to Ireland in very critical condition. Before he died, Laurence was asked what he wanted to leave to his heirs in his will, and he replied, “God knows I have not a penny in the world.” Laurence had truly embodied the care and stewardship of a shepherd and had given all he had to his beloved people of Dublin. Laurence died on November 14, 1180.

St. Laurence O’Toole, Irish bishop who endured violence to lead the Irish people to deeper faith—pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Laurence is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed October 10, 2024.