Tried and Found Worthy

November 13, 2007

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin

Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; They shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the LORD shall be their King forever. Wisdom 5:5-8

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.’ Luke 17:10

Piety

Lord, help us to approach you in sincere humility and remain servant leaders among your people. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/111307.shtml

The role of the servants continues to evolve and develop in Luke’s Gospel. The book of Wisdom gives a great summary of what we find in Luke – the valuable servant is one who is tested by God and found worthy.

In the first chapter, Mary sings of Israel as the servant of God worthy of God’s help because of that service. (“He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Luke 1:54-55). The servant is worthy of God’s help because of the covenant of the fathers.

Zechariah echoes the word servant and adds another dimension to it. (“He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant.” Luke 1:69). Here, the obedient servant is deemed worthy of mercy, salvation and redemption from enemies.

Simeon, upon seeing the Lord as a baby being presented in the temple now knows that he can die because his mission in life has been fulfilled as Simeon blesses the Christ child. His duty on earth has been completed upon seeing the child.

During Jesus’ ministry, we next encounter references to “servant” in chapter 7 in an unlikely context. A centurion sends Jews to meet Jesus and ask Jesus to come to cure one of his slaves who is ill. The Jews plead the centurion’s case because he helped to build the temple. They are still thinking in a legalistic “quid pro quo” fashion. Jesus approaches his house but the centurion sends a second strange message for a man who is in such a position of power. The leader of 100 men approaches Jesus as the servant.

“Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it.” Luke 7:6-8

The centurion does not think that he can directly address Jesus so he keeps sending intermediaries. Despite this humility, Jesus fulfills his request. The leader assumes the lowliest position.

By Chapter 12. Jesus is describing the role of servants to be on the lookout for the master ready to obey the commands no matter what the hours. As servants, we are compelled to obedience or face the consequences.

That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more. Luke 12:47-48

In chapter 14, Jesus tells the story of a rich man who uses a servant to invite others to a special dinner at his home.

During the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), the son returns to his home after he realizes that he would be better as a servant of his loving father than as a worker to an unjust employer. The other son has a different view of service. He feels he has done his duty and been overlooked because he was never been rewarded with a feast like his returning sibling.

Then in Luke 16, we learn explicitly that no servant can serve two masters. Now, Jesus adds an explicit reference to responsible duty that the servant must fulfill in addition to being obedient to the master.

Jesus, through Luke, is not done with showing us the richness of the role that servants play in his narrative. Christian disciples can make no claim on God's graciousness; in fulfilling the exacting demands of discipleship, they are only doing their duty. From the centurion on, we see that we must do our duty – have faith – in order to live in God’s friendship.

No matter what our role in society, our nationality, or our class, we have to live in a right relationship to God and to those around us.

Action

Would Jesus use “waterboarding” as a technique to try his servants? This torture technique has been much in the news recently with the war, interrogation of terror suspects and the Attorney General nomination.

For some, with extensive experience, there seems to be no question that this technique is illegal and a violation of the Geneva Convention. Here are two recent views from the Washington Post. Tom Ricks’ Inbox http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/09/AR2007110901570_pf.html or Waterboarding Used to Be a Crime http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/02/AR2007110201170_pf.html.

Jesus might test his servants by seeing if they would resort to use of such a technique – waiting to see who will reject it as illegal and immoral before finding the servant worthy.

Consider the Bishops’ statement about the use of torture and let your political leaders know your views. In a September statement aimed at political leaders, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said:

In all military actions, ethical norms require protecting civilians, using proportionate and discriminate force, rejecting torture, and fighting terrorism with nonmilitary means and the legitimate use of force when necessary.

U.S. policy must take into account the growing costs and consequences of a continued occupation on military personnel, their families and our nation. There is a moral obligation to deal with the human, medical, mental health and social costs of military action. Our nation should ask: What is the moral basis for the continuing sacrifices of our military personnel? Who bears the sacrifices and burdens of this war? How will our nation bring healing and long-term help to individuals, families and communities?

Each course of action in Iraq should be weighed in light of the traditional moral principle of “probability of success,” i.e. the likelihood that the action will contribute to a responsible transition” and withdrawal as soon as appropriate and possible. This principle requires our nation’s leaders to be more realistic about the difficult situation in Iraq and more concerned about the likely consequences of a withdrawal that is too rapid or not rapid enough.

In closing we return to our heartfelt plea that the Administration and the Congress begin to work together to bring an end to this war and occupation at the earliest opportunity consistent with the limited goal of a responsible transition and the protection of human lives—Iraqi and American.