In our gospel, Jesus gives us a surprising example of being a servant:
“Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.”
This is not what we expect: the master is now waiting on the servants. Once again, Jesus turns custom upside down. In other words, it would be like sitting down at your favorite restaurant, looking up and seeing Jesus, our Master, handing you the menu and pouring your water! He’s teaching that we too should embrace that role of being servants, of doing things that need doing because people matter. It’s another reminder from Jesus himself to put ourselves last, to lose our life in order that we may we welcomed into eternal life. It means looking for chances to do those dull, thankless jobs that mark us as heroes in the Kingdom.
Last Sunday, Pope Leo formally canonized 7 new saints… 3 women and 4 men whom we can emulate as servants of God. This diverse group of religious and lay men and women held on to their faith amid personal, spiritual and physical challenges. They hail from Venezuela, Turkey, Papua New Guinea and Italy.
Two among them are:
- Maria Carmen Martinez who was born without her left arm but overcame her physical challenges to found a religious Congregation in Caracas. They serve others in pastoral ministry and education. She is now Venezuela’s first female saint.
- Peter To Rot was a married father and lay catechist from New Guinea. When the Japanese forces imprisoned missionaries during World War II, he became the sole spiritual guide and leader for his faith community. He was arrested and martyred in a prison camp in 1945.
I would invite you to do a search and read about the other lives of these new saints. They are exemplary witnesses to us of serving those around us and those in need, of doing the ordinary tasks of life with giving hearts and prayerfully surrendering their everyday lives to God.
May these newly canonized saints inspire us by their humble service and prayerful lives.
