Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 8, 2022
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.’”
The last line from Luke’s Gospel today reminded me of a recently released movie about the life of Mother Teresa, No Greater Love. In it, Mother Teresa paired her profound sense of duty to serve the poor with complete humility about the work that she accomplished. While we look at her life and see a near-impossible standard of sanctity, she understood herself to be doing simply as she was “obliged to do.”
Where can we possibly get the strength to follow her example of holiness and to do what we are obliged? Mother Teresa’s resilience and capacity to serve the poorest of the poor came from the Eucharist. She and her fellow missionaries committed to a daily hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
As explained in the film, Mother Teresa understood that the poor are made in the image of the same God present in the Eucharist. Her devotion to the Eucharist and time spent in adoration led to a more profound love for the poor.
None of us are Mother Teresa, but we are called to find and follow our unique vocations, to love and serve the poor and vulnerable, and to strive for sainthood. We, too, will be strengthened in our vocations, our love for the poor, and our journey to sainthood by spending more time with Jesus in the Eucharist.
Nothing good we do is ours alone to claim—least of all our holiness. But God gave himself to us through his son Jesus. Jesus continues to give himself to us in the Eucharist to strengthen us and give us the grace we need to fulfill our obligations.
Let us strive to deepen our Eucharistic devotion and our reliance on this endless well of grace.
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
We do not know much about Pope Deusdedit, also called Adeodatus I, but the fragments of his biography that have been passed down to us certainly qualify him as a saint.
He was a Roman who lived after the fall of Rome—his society was troubled by unrest and civil disorder.
He was only pope for three years, but during that time, he led the clergy of the church in caring for the poor and the sick. When an earthquake ravaged the city and left behind a disorder of the skin that afflicted many people, he was front and center in the effort to care for them.
He was the first pope to seal documents with a bullae, a leaden seal—this is the source of the term “papal bulls” that continue to describe letters from the pope. One of his seals still exists today.
Deusdedit died in 618 and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
Pope St. Deusdedit, who used his short pontificate to care for the sick and poor, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Pope St. Deusdedit is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed October 10, 2024