The first reading today, from the prophet Habakkuk, sounds quite negative, but also rings true today. The prophet uses words like oppression, injustice, outrage, violence, discord, to describe what he is experiencing at that time. These are words which express what is happening currently in so many parts of our world and also in our own country, words which reflect the news on the air, TV or in the newspapers. Like the prophet, we could get discouraged as these situations continue, and even seem to get worse. God is aware of all this and is concerned about the suffering so many of His sons and daughters are experiencing. He isn't deaf to our prayers. They will be answered, but in God's time, not ours. "It comes slowly, wait, for come it will, without fail", Habakkuk concludes.

The second reading is challenging in a different key, I think. Timothy is reminded of the gift of the Spirit which he has received, a gift which is so precious. The gift of faith and love we too received in baptism, and we are invited to fan it into a flame, to enable it to grow stronger, and not to be afraid of bearing witness in our daily lives. The values of the Gospel of Jesus run contrary to those espoused by many in our world which lead to the kinds of misfortune described by Habakkuk. We need to be courageous in our witness to Jesus' way.

We join the apostles in our Gospel reading, who ask Jesus to increase our faith. Because of the difficulties we may be encountering and the problems in our country and world, we do need a strong faith to believe that God really does love us all and our world. Jesus says that faith as tiny as a diminutive mustard seed is capable of moving large trees. Interesting imagery! Just how strong is our faith?

Luke then changes tack, including a kind of parable which reflects the culture of his day. A landowner has a servant who works in the fields, either ploughing or minding sheep. When he returns to the house, the master isn't going to say 'Have a break and a nice meal yourself before attending to my needs'. No, he tells the servant to tidy himself up, and then wait on him as he eats and drinks. He can have his own meal later. It does seem a bit harsh and demanding, but that seems to have been the culture of the day. This kind of thing a servant would have expected, this was his job. The master needn't feel grateful because his servant did what he was supposed to do. He only did his duty.

Applying this scenario to ourselves as his disciples, as servants of the kingdom, I suppose Jesus is reminding us to be humble, not to get big ideas of our status, for we are servants. In trying to live by his values and act as he would want us to act, we are only doing our duty. Really, this is a privilege. We serve out of love, not because we hope to be rewarded.

However, on another occasion Jesus tells a similar parable with a different outcome. The master is away at a lengthy celebration. The servants have to prepare everything for his return and wait for him to come home. When he does get back, the master doesn't think of his own needs, but sets about providing a meal for them first, serving them. As we celebrate Eucharist today, this is what Jesus does for you and me.

A final thought. We meet many people each day who render us a service, be that in a shop, or as teachers, bus drivers, engineers, nurses, bar tenders, cleaners etc. They get paid for what they do, they do their duty. But I think we should also be ready to thank them for it, recognising that they are fellow human beings with their own problems and difficulties in life. I'm sure this is what Jesus would do.

Reflection by Fr Michael Winstanley SDB

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash