Girding and reclining

In today’s Gospel (Luke 12:35-38), our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ uses expressions that may sound a bit strange to many of us who may be unfamiliar to things that were very familiar in the time and place when He walked on this earth.

In those days, in the brutally hot climate of that land, men and women wore loose-fitting clothing, but when it was necessary to be ready for quick action or hard physical labor, it would be necessary to comport oneself differently, including the adjustment of clothing close to the body.

Thus when our Lord says, “Gird your loins,” he is telling us to be ready for quick action and hard work.

Also, in that time and place, the custom was to recline to eat, much as one might see Bedouins eating today.

Thus our Lord speaks of the Master rewarding his servants by letting them “recline at table” while he himself girds himself and does the work of waiting on them.

What our Lord is telling us in this passage is to be always watching (“light your lamps”) for signs of God and ready to take quick action and do hard work (“gird your loins”) in response to God’s call.

While we must be prudent stewards of our health, relaxation is not the summit and purpose of our lives in this world: our purpose in this world is to serve God and others, each in the ways God calls us.

Then, as we have been faithful servants, when God Himself calls us home, then He Himself will do the work, with the Infinite power of His mercy and love, and we will recline in the Kingdom of Heaven in eternal relaxation, excitement, and happiness.