Lk 17:7-10
“Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?
So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Gift of Gratitude
We all know how good it feels when we are thanked for hard work, and we have all had the feeling of being taken for granted.
So, is Jesus suggesting that following him is a depressing, thankless task, only to be rewarded in the next life?
I don’t think so.
It seems that Jesus is reminding us today that gratitude is a gift and not a wage.
Gifts, especially when they are least expected and just what we need, fill us with joy and connect us with the giver.
When gifts come to be expected, the joy of receiving becomes elusive.
Instead, it seems that Jesus is inviting us to live as he lives: doing the work of God without expectation, so that, when the gift of gratitude comes, we may taste it with the fullness of joy.
—Ryen Dwyer, SJ, is a Jesuit from the Midwest Province studying theology at Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California.
Prayer
Jesus, you have shown us that gratitude is truly a gift which connects us ever more closely to you, the giver. When I express gratitude, whether I feel grateful or not, I share this gift. When I receive gratitude, let me always recognize it, not as a wage, but as my daily bread: received, blessed, and shared for the life of the world. Amen.
—Ryen Dwyer, SJ