Reading 1 Wis 2:23:3:9
God formed man to be imperishable;
the image of his own nature he made them.
But by the envy of the Devil, death entered the world,
and they who are in his possession experience it.
But the souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
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.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19
R. (2a) I will bless the Lord at all times.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
The LORD has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
Gospel Lk 17:7-10
Jesus said to the Apostles:
"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
"Come here immediately and take your place at table?"
Would he not rather say to him,
"Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished?"
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
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."
Meditation: Wisdom 2:23–3:9
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“They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead.” (Wisdom 3:2)
Think of all the technology that can help us to see better, farther, and clearer than we could before. A simple surgical procedure can eliminate the need for eyeglasses. Powerful telescopes can see galaxies that are trillions of miles away —and satellites can see the coffee cup on our kitchen table! It seems we can see just about anything. But do we always see everything we need to see?
Not according to the writer of the Book of Wisdom. For all our modern technological advances, we still need a new perspective. Where the Lord would see the life of “the just” as worthwhile and praiseworthy, all that “the foolish” can see is wasted potential and a pointless death (Wisdom 3:1-2).
No one fulfills these words better than Jesus. In the world’s eyes, his life was a monumental waste, and his death a sad tragedy. Here was a man with great charisma, able to attract a large following that had the potential to challenge Rome’s stranglehold on Israel. But what does he do with these people? He tells them to turn the other cheek and to forgive seventy times seven times. And then, to add insult to injury, he willingly hands himself over to his enemies and dies a horrible, pathetic death. What a waste!
But in God’s eyes, and in the eyes of faith, Jesus lived the most successful life ever. Not only did he live in humble surrender to God, his every word and his every action revealed the Father’s love and power for everyone to see. And to top it all off, he rose from the dead! Nothing was wasted. Everything Jesus did had eternal, powerful meaning —for everyone!
What kind of vision correction do you need? It’s easy to look at our own lives and think that they don’t amount to much. But that’s not how God sees us. For him, every act of faith and trust, every act of love and generosity, is immensely important. Every one of these brings a smile to his face, for it brings his love, his power, and his healing that much closer to the people around you. Your life matters —a lot!
“Lord, following your law is my greatest delight. Serving you is my highest reward!”
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