“‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

luke 17:10

Luke 17:7-10

Reflection

Jesus asks his disciples what they would ask a servant who had just come in from working outside. Would they tell the servant to sit down and dine, or would they tell the servant to rather prepare food and drink for their master first? Jesus then says that when the disciples have done all they are obliged to do, they should consider themselves unprofitable.

Jesus is telling us that doing our Christian duty, being servants of Christ, doesn’t make us especially profitable, for we have only done what we are obliged to do as disciples of Jesus. While it is a good thing to live out our Christian duty, we are only meeting the expectation of a disciple, not necessarily going above and beyond.

We can truly grow in humility when we realize that being a disciple of Christ is not enough to repay God for our sins – that is something we can never do. As Christians, we are obliged to follow Christ’s teachings and follow him; we come to realize that God’s mercy is overflowing for each of us – another reason to practice being humble. How is Jesus calling you to be a better disciple, and where is he calling you to grow in humility?

---

Saint of the Day

St. Martin of Tours: ca. AD 316 – 397

“I will do the work you entrust to me. While you command, I will fight beneath your banner.” St. Martin of Tours