Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom

 

 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

 

- Luke 12:32-48 

 

Yesterday we read that one from the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your east; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which if you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink. nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

  "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."   Do not fear, my study bible says, is a recurring theme in this discourse.  Little flock is a reference to all believers.   A note says that they are "little" in two ways.  First, they are insignificant in the eyes of the world; and second, they are small in number when compared to the earthly and heavenly creation.  Let us note again the emphasis on giving -- that this increases our treasure in heaven.  To give also becomes a blessing to us in the sense that it help us to realize just how great our gifts truly are, when we see our effort effectively helping and spreading needed support to others.  Even the materially poorest among us is rich in gifts to give to others, including time and simply care, prayers, friendship.

"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them."  This is a call to be vigilant, my study bible says.  It echoes the imagery of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.  To let your waist be girded is to prepare for virtuous action, an image which comes from the common practice of workers gathering up and fastening their garments so as not to get them dirty before a task.   To keep lamps burning is to keep awake, alert, seeing; my study bible interprets that as a call to spiritual discernment.  Let us note the response of a generous and good master to his good servants:  he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  It reminds us of Christ washing His disciples' feet at the Last Supper.

 

"And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants."  The second watch and third watch are the hours following sunset; they include the time between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.   My study bible says these are interpreted as hours of heightened temptation.  The servants are most blessed, therefore, who remain faithful during the night. 

"But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."   My study bible comments here that it is not the place of anyone to try to predict the time of the return of the Son of Man.  Rather we are called to remain faithful and to be ready at every hour.  

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."  The previous parable (in the paragraph just before) applied to all people, which Peter asks about.  But in response, Jesus refers to a faithful and wise steward, indicating that it is addressed to the apostles and their successors, the rulers and teachers of the Church.  My study bible says that the exhortations to principles of virtue and the warnings against corruption apply specifically to those entrusted with spiritual leadership.  Let us note that the judgment of the teachers of the Church will be strict (James 3:1).  The many stripes which are given to those willfully and knowingly disobedient are a symbol of condemnation.  The few stripes are for those who are disobedient out of ignorance, and they indicate chastisement or correction. 

So how are we to stay busy as we await the return of our Lord?  Clearly Jesus has begun to prepare the disciples for the time that will come after His Passion.  We have already read that He has set His face for Jerusalem (9:51-53).  In today's reading we're given first a parable for all believers, and then one directed at those who would be stewards of the house of Christ, the Church.  That is, for the leaders and teachers to come, directed specifically toward the apostles and their successors, in answer to Peter's question.  First Christ reassures each one of our value to God.  This is something that we should never forget.  And that goes hand in hand with His command that we understand what it is to give toward one another, and to account to ourselves treasures in heaven by doing so.  This is a command not simply that one gives alms or charity in a conventional sense, but it is also a teaching which characterizes Jesus' broad attitude regarding the power of the soul and the acts of faith.  It is not simply about giving alms to others in which we find this attitude expressed, but also in Christ's teaching that we forgive others as we seek to be forgiven, that we shall receive mercy as we also express mercy, that we do good and even pray for our enemies.  Mind you, in the context of abusive or vicious behavior, to pray for one's enemy is not to seek to cement their behavior in stone or to approve of it, but rather to pray for their salvation which implies a better way of life.  This constant iteration in various forms of Jesus' injunction to be gracious (as God is gracious) and generous (as God is generous) is one that teaches us a tremendously expansive way of thinking and being.  It liberates us from a tit-for-tat mentality, from sizing up and measuring everything rather than living in the spirit of God's love which is not measured, and it asks us to pay no mind to vengeance but to instead seek God's will through all things -- even through attacks of our enemies.   This generous spirit is also exemplified in our readiness to do our Master's will, our focus on the tasks at hand and the things Christ wishes from us in our faith.  St. James writes that faith without works is dead, and I would invite everyone to consider to rethink our concept of what "works" are.  They might not simply be tasks we think of as work or deeds, but the simple act of prayer in private, the prayer said at a moment when we think of someone in pain or difficulty, the kind heart that reflects on how one might be able to help another who is hurting.  These are all "acts" or choices, things we choose to do.  Even our faith itself -- putting our trust in Christ -- is an "act" and something that we do.  It is, after all, what it is to "work the works of God" as Jesus defines it in John 6:27-29.  In this sense, as faithful servants to Christ, always expecting the Master's return and remaining uncertain of when exactly that will happen, our minds are always to be on living our faith, seeking first the kingdom of God, focusing on spiritual discernment through all things, remaining alert to the promptings of a heart focused on our faith in Christ.  That's essentially what He is asking us to do.  If it seems like a lot of effort, consider the magnanimous spirit that asks us to be like our Master, the One who created us in God's own image and likeness which is love.  Jesus is teaching us that magnanimity, generosity, graciousness, unmeasured mercy, and love are all attributes of a truly natural human being.  That is, they are the real groundwork of our souls made in the image and likeness of God.   This generosity that recognizes one's energy and capacity to serve God is part of living in God's kingdom.  It isn't simply an effort we must make.  It is rather coming to terms with the fact that in so living, we find ourselves blessed with abundance we didn't think we had, with a far greater capacity for personal expansion and blessedness than we knew, and with a joy that comes from realizing those capacities for good that are hidden in the smallest of acts made through faith.  We are, in fact, unlimited in ways that we don't know -- but are revealed through the life in abundance to which He seeks to draw us.  Let us remember that life and faith are a journey of discovery, which we will only find by following Him on that road (His "way") and in the true experience of a life lived in faith.  Generosity and magnanimity are hallmarks of the blessed way of life, as revealed in the Beatitudes.  This is the life of the kingdom, which it is the Father's good pleasure to give to the faithful.

It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!

 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

- Luke 17:1-10

In our reading yesterday, Jesus gave the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus:   "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.  Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'  But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'  Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'  Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let then hear them.'  And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'  But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"


 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  My study bible says that "little ones" primarily refers to children, but by extension to anyone whose "heart is humble and dependent on God."  It seems to me also that "little ones" refers to those who come to the disciples, the nominal members of the Church who will be under their guidance as His stewards.  Thus "brother" becomes those we are in relation to - and a model for others in the flock, all the "little ones."

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."  My study bible suggests that the mulberry tree is symbolic of the devil's works.  "It is on the leaf of this tree that silkworms feed, worms being an image of hell (Mark 9:42-48).  This patristic interpretation is confirmed by numerous scriptural images of evil being destroyed in the sea (8:33; Exodus 14:27; Matthew 21:21; Revelation 20:10). "

"And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not."  A note says, "The servant plowing is mentioned first and the one tending sheep second, showing that one must first work out his own salvation (Philippians 2:12) before he can become a shepherd of others."

 "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"  My study bible tells us that the word for unprofitable here literally means "without merit."  However, it doesn't imply that the servant is without intrinsic value.  Rather, it means everything we have comes from God and is owed back to Him.  There is nothing we can offer God that is not already His.

Jesus speaks to the disciples as those who will be future stewards of His Church.  They will have the "jobs" of gathering and nurturing His flock, leading them, after Pentecost.  But in this sense these words prepare all of us, as we look to Christ to teach us what it is to become a true servant.  We need preparation, commitment, a kind of training in the work through experience.  And above all, this work requires humility -- the capacity to remember "the little ones" and to take great care in what we do.  Everything we do teaches.  Everything we do is a part of this work.  And if our attitude is like one of the "little ones," keeping in mind that we are always ready to learn more, to do more, and that we remain in this position, then we are on a good road.  We are on the road He calls us to.  Even in the highest positions of leadership, to be like the little ones, to take care of the little ones and remain humble might be the greatest task, but also the most difficult.  For all of us, the learning is ongoing -- and in the learning is at once the doing, the work, and the leadership He asks for.  He doesn't promise the disciples this will be an easy job.  On the other hand, He's calling them to a discipline and a remembrance.  He rebukes the Pharisees for a kind of elitism and ways in which power is used hypocritically; He tells His own disciples that they are to be nothing like this -- and that their greatest virtue will be to remain humble and without hubris.  In some sense, the whole of the Bible can be summed up in that teaching!  Even the ancient world of the Greeks taught above all against hubris, the kind of arrogance that leads us to forget that we are dependent upon God and that we are not gods unto ourselves.   We are human beings; we always have flaws and blind spots, things we are learning -- and so things we must keep in mind.  It's a tough road, not easy.  But what good thing is truly worthwhile if it doesn't call us to awareness and discipline, if it doesn't challenge us to a kind of call for excellence?  It would be wrong if we were to interpret Jesus' words in some sort of competitive spirit, comparing ourselves to others.  Each one is called to be the servant they can be; each one of us reports to the Master and therein finds our duties and also the flaws we need to work on.  We need humility for this job -- and Jesus constantly reminds the disciples that it is their job to mind how the fellow servants are treated!  This is what He gives us, and it is a good road to be on, a kind of honor that has to do with personal integrity -- to God and to neighbor, and especially to the "little ones" whoever they may be in our lives and communities.