A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (# 45)
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 3, 2004
“The Trees in the Sea”
BIBLE READINGS
Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4 / 2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14 // Lk 17:5-10
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
The story “A Son of Tears” is about Saint Monica’s love and care for her wayward son, Augustine, who would become one of the greatest saints and pastors in the Church (cf. Stories for the Heart, Multnomah Publishers, Sisters: Oregon, 1996, p. 185-187). It underlines the transforming power of an authentic faith that is at the service of God’s saving plan, which is the theme of today’s Gospel reading (Lk 17:5-10). St. Monica’s faith was so pure and limpid that it helped bring about the miraculous conversion of Augustine. He who wallowed in a life of sin and falsehood was later transported into the immense sea of God’s forgiving grace when he finally made a committed response to the love of Jesus. Casandra Lindell retells the famous story of St. Augustine’s conversion and of St. Monica’s faith experience below.
Saint Augustine did not start out that way. His mother, Monica, taught him about Christianity carefully and she prayed, but his incredible mind had always troubled her. One day, in his teenage years, he announced that he was throwing aside her faith in Christ to follow current heresies. He went on to live a life of immorality … Monica prayed through her son’s sin and she prayed through her son’s heresy. She prayed her son through his fight with God … Those years were not easy for Monica, as any mother of a child lost in darkness knows. Those years hurt. Finally, she went to the bishop, a devout man who knew the Scriptures inside and out, and asked him to talk to Augustine, to refute his errors. The bishop refused – Augustine had quite a reputation as an orator and debater by then. Instead, he wisely comforted Monica by saying that a mind so sharp would eventually see through the deception … Monica would not be consoled by those words. She continued to beg the bishop, and plead with him through rivers of tears. Finally, wearied by her tenacity but at the same time moved by the ache in her soul for her son, the bishop said, “Go, go! Leave me alone. Live on as you are living. It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost.” Harshness was interwoven with kindness and compassion.
The son of such tears continued to run from his mother and from his God. He ran for many more years. Then, one day, Augustine listened to Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan and the most eminent churchman of the day. Exhausted by the years of running, convicted and broken, he turned to embrace Jesus … Not too long after her prodigal Augustine came home for good, she told him that she had nothing to live for. Her lifelong quest had been to see him come back to Jesus. Nine days later, she was dead.”
This Sunday’s Gospel reading begins with the apostles’ petition to the Lord: “Increase our faith” (Lk 17:5). This request needs to be seen against the backdrop of Jesus’ sayings on leading others astray (Lk 17:1-3) and brotherly correction (Lk 17:4). In order to avoid leading others astray by bad example and to be able to forgive the habitual offender in a spirit of charity, the disciples asked Jesus for greater faith. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 6 comment: “The fact that this request is formulated by the apostles is itself very meaningful. The apostles are those who believed in Easter, and were invested with the mission to call all people to faith, to the ends of the world. Here, they address Jesus as Lord, a title given to him only by those who recognize in him the Christ exalted in the glory of the Father. Therefore, if these bulwarks of faith petition the Lord in this manner, how much more reason do we have to do so, who are men of little faith.”
Jesus, however, did not answer that he will give them what they ask, but depicted what true faith can do: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Lk 15:6). Jesus expressed the extraordinary power of faith in evocative imagery. A mulberry tree is relatively large, with an extensive root system. It is extremely difficult to uproot this tree and let it grow in deep water. True faith, however, even if it is the size of the mustard seed, will bring about the miracle of “a mulberry tree uprooted and planted in the sea”. True faith increases, blooms and grows. What matter are not the small mustard seed beginning and the littleness of our inchoative faith, but our personal response to God’s saving love offered to us in his savior son, Jesus. Indeed, genuine faith in the person of Jesus Christ brings about true miracles for life, healing and salvation. The image of “a mulberry tree uprooted and planted in the sea” thus points to an astounding phenomenon: the marvelous spreading of the good news of salvation throughout the whole world, and the multitudes of races, peoples, and nations won over to faith by the preaching and witnessing of the Christian apostles and disciples. In every situation of trial, difficulty and hardship in today’s world, life-giving miracles can be accomplished by the power of faith in Jesus.
The next part of this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Lk 17:7-10) presents the parable of the dutiful servant who is expected to go about his ordinary tasks in a responsible, devoted and self-giving way. The Divine Master challenged the apostles with this provocative domestic-agricultural reality: “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.’” (Lk 17: 7-10)
The parable of the dutiful servant underscores God’s unmerited graciousness to his disciples. According to the biblical scholar, Robert Karris: “Stressed here is responsible ministry on the part of church officials who till the field of the Church and shepherd its flock … The point is not that the disciples are not worth anything in themselves or in their work for the Lord. The fact that disciples have done their duty does not empower them to lay a claim upon God that they are worthy of God’s graciousness. That graciousness is and remains sheer gift.” The translation of Lk 17:10 in the Jerusalem Bible corroborates R. Karris’ insight and underlines the ministerial aspect of Christian discipleship more clearly: “When you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are merely servants; we have done no more than our duty’.”
This Sunday’s liturgy invites the worshipping community to become dutiful servants who serve the Divine Master faithfully in a totally disinterested manner, through love. As faith-filled servants of God, we should claim nothing for ourselves, not only because we have received all that we have from the Lord, but above all, in imitation of the Divine Master who came not to be served but to serve (Lk 22:27). In our own frailty and humble dedication as unprofitable servants is displayed the power of Christ.
Indeed, the generous and faithful ministry of faith-filled Christian disciples-apostles in today’s world on behalf of God’s kingdom brings about, what D. Rimaud calls, the miracles of “the trees in the sea”, which are characterized poetically by the following: “Beggars as kings, power overturned, hoarded gold shared with all! … Hangmen without work, rusted manacles, empty prisons! … Buried guns, disbanded armies, dancing mountains!”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
A. In the challenges of daily Christian living, do we humbly cry out to the Lord, “Increase our faith” (Lk 17:5)?
B. Does our faith work wonders? Animated by the power of faith and the grace of God, are we able to bring about the miracle of “the trees in the sea”?
C. In our personal dedication to the kingdom ministry, are we always ready to avow: “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we are obliged to do” (Lk 17:10)?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Jesus Lord,
together with your apostles,
we cry out to you: “Increase our faith” (Lk 17:5).
We are fragile and vulnerable to temptation,
and we ask you to assist us
in our task of Christian witnessing and forgiving.
O Divine Master,
you assure us
that as long as we personally respond to your loving initiative,
our mustard-size inchoative faith will be sufficient
for moving mountains and uprooting trees.
As dutiful servants,
help us to cultivate the gentle budding of our faith within.
May we truly believe in your words:
“If you have faith the size of mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’
and it would obey you” (Lk 17:6).
May the power of our faith in you
enable us to achieve the miracle of “the trees in the sea”
and attain wondrous achievements
in the realm of the spirit and the evangelization of the world.
We acknowledge our poverty
and avow the truth that all we have comes from you.
You are our gracious Lord, the faithful Servant of Yahweh,
who came to serve and not to be served.
With the strength that comes from you,
we resolve to toil for the coming of God’s kingdom
in today’s world
and to say at the completion of our kingdom ministry:
“We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do” (Lk 17:10).
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’ and it would obey you” (Lk 17:6).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
A. ACTION PLAN: During this week, make a personal prayer to the Divine Master based on the following Gospel texts:
“Increase our faith.” (Lk 17:5)
“If you have faith …” (Lk 17:6)
“We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do”
(Lk 17:10).
B. ACTION PLAN: Carry out your Church ministry and your daily tasks with the dutiful attitude of God’s faithful servant. To help bring about the miracle of “the trees in the sea”, offer your personal service to relieve the affliction of the poor and destitute in your local community.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US