In 2021, our family was invited to create an online show for families as a “new evangelization” tool. By God’s providence, that was also the time when we had been praying about how we could serve Him more as a family. It was also the year of Saint Joseph, and we wanted to be more intentional in growing our devotion to the Holy Family. Thus, our show “Today with Team +JMJ+” was born. (+JMJ+ means Jesus, Mary, Joseph.) Presently, “Team +JMJ+” has grown into a family ministry of sorts. Aside from the show, we were able to create two digital devotionals for families. 

People ask us how we manage to do all these on top of our daily obligations and service at The Feast. All we can say is that we are just His “unprofitable servants.” Without His grace, we are nothing. Tina Santiago Rodriguez (trulyrichandblessed@gmail.com)

Reflect:

“God freely created us that we might know, love, and serve Him in this life and be happy with Him forever. God’s purpose in creating us is to draw forth from us a response of love and service here on earth, so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with Him in heaven.” (St. Ignatius of Loyola)

Lord, open my heart and mind to what You want me to do with my life. Grant me the grace to see how I can serve You, even in small and simple ways. 

Saint Josaphat, bishop and martyr, pray for us.

Paul encourages us to be a good example, particularly to the young. If the young go astray, they will be a bad example for the next generation, and proclaiming the Gospel will progressively become more difficult. Let us contribute to the work of evangelization by living according to the tenets of the Gospel.

¹ Beloved: You must say what is consistent with sound doctrine, namely, ² that older men should be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, love, and endurance. ³ Similarly, older women should be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to drink, teaching what is good, ⁴ so that they may train younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled, chaste, good homemakers, under the control of their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited. ⁶ Urge the younger men, similarly, to control themselves, ⁷ showing yourself as a model of good deeds in every respect, with integrity in your teaching, dignity, ⁸ and sound speech that cannot be criticized, so that the opponent will be put to shame without anything bad to say about us. ¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, saving all ¹² and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, ¹³ as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good. 

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 37:3-4, 18, 23, 27, 29

R:The salvation of the just comes from the Lord. 

³ Trust in the Lord and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security. ⁴ Take delight in the Lord, and he will grant you your heart’s requests. (R) ¹⁸ The Lord watches over the lives of the wholehearted; their inheritance lasts forever. ²³ By the Lord are the steps of a man made firm, and he approves his way. (R) ²⁷ Turn from evil and do good, that you may abide forever; ²⁹ The just shall possess the land and dwell in it forever. (R) 

Gospel | Luke 17:7-10

The perfect attitude when serving is to do everything for God's glory. We should not look for any earthly reward. Our true reward awaits us in heaven. Nothing we do now will make us deserve the gift of eternal life. It is God’s free gift to us. Our service is our response to the knowledge that God has given us in abundance.

Gospel Acclamation

Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him.

⁷ Jesus said to his 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’? ⁸ 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’? ⁹ Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? ¹⁰ 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.’” 

Reflect:

"God's faithful servant has no desire for people to say or to give to him . . . for his first and greatest aim is to hear what is most pleasing to God." (Saint Augustine)

Read the Bible in one year! Read ZECHARIAH 12 - 14 today.

Today’s Gospel talks about service and responsibility. A servant who did his duties should be thankful that he was able to render the service expected of him. His master did not owe him anything. He was paid or hired to do what he did. Jesus even went as far as saying that the servant could admit uselessness in doing so. In this case, service means going beyond one’s duties. Christian service is not a job. It is a ministry.

This is very relevant when applied to most of our elected officials. Times have changed. Time was when public servants were so humble that they tell their constituents, “I am your servant. I am at your service.” Projects for the benefit of the people are part of their responsibilities as elected officials. When they have done their duties, we do not owe them. How can we owe them something when they just did what they are supposed to do? In many instances, they fail to fulfill all their responsibilities. This may also be applied in other institutions like churches, private offices, communities, and families. 

We owe someone something when we are served beyond our privileges and rights. We owe something to servants if they give us free housing, food, or recreation. Or when they wake us up in the morning or bring us to our destinations. Anything they personally do beyond their listed duties, we owe them. 

But Jesus in today’s Gospel is more concerned about our service to God. With and before God, we will always be useless servants. God has given us everything. Our whole life is destined to be lived in gratitude to Him. Thus, we are reminded to be always humble. We regard everything we do—whether prayer, fasting, or acts of charity—as our thanksgiving for God’s goodness. Never mind if we tell ourselves that we are useless. What is important is we do our best. That should make us worthy of God’s favor. Fr. Benny Tuazon

Reflection Question:

Do you always expect to receive something after doing an act of goodness? Why?

I am Your useless servant, Lord. Use me. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _________________________________