“We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do”. (Luke 17:10) · LI
Unprofitable? In what sense? Does it mean that we are of no use at all? Jesus did not say these words in today’s Gospel to humiliate us or make us feel we are worthless! Instead, they are wise and insightful words that show us our true place before God and the path to true inner joy. Indeed, we all know we are “servants” of the Lord, but sometimes we adopt the attitude of those who also feel a bit like “masters,” and we act like “master-servants,” claiming our “royalties,” expecting the deserved reward for our good service. For Jesus, this is not the right disposition to adopt before God.
Demanding More
Those who are always on the lookout for something from God will never be content and satisfied, because they will always demand more. Meanwhile, those who consider themselves “unworthy” of serving God, knowing they receive everything from Him, will consider it an undeserved reward when He grants them some satisfaction, a welcome “surprise” of His Love. Even when we succeed in doing great acts of charity or other good deeds for others, we should not feel too important or consider those acts as proceeding solely from us. We can only do good when helped by God’s grace, and not out of own personal efforts. Jesus is teaching us to not become arrogant in doing good. Instead of becoming puffed up with pride, let us thank God for the opportunity to do the good he has given us.
Perhaps a better translation of “We are unprofitable servants” might be: we are “unpretentious” servants, that is, we are not constantly demanding some reward from God, but rather we do our work with complete generosity. Then our life will also be filled with God’s “beautiful surprises,” because God never lets himself be outdone in generosity!
Prayer:
We might think, “So what are we doing here? I’m not saying words of gratitude, but at least words of encouragement.” But no, we need to say: we are useless servants. Why? So that we don’t become arrogant. Instead of becoming puffed up with pride, let us thank God for the opportunity to do the good he has given us. Instead of dwelling on everything we’ve done, blaming it on others (and then blaming it on others when necessary), let us consider how much God and others have loved us, and let us rejoice solely in the good we have been able to do and give.
Let us look to the Lord: He, who is God, has become a servant of love for us and does not hold all the gifts he has given us in our faces. We could say that he is happy to love us and his joy is in the very act of loving. Let us learn from him, and may he grant us the gift of humility of heart and gratitude. We can never thank God enough for what he has given us and for the good that, in his name, we have the opportunity to accomplish!
Lord, make me a servant without pretensions of any kind, content simply to have been called to work in your vineyard, and that is enough! Amen.
