The Letter to Titus lists those domestic virtues that are
conducive to a good home life and a strong Christian community.
The older
people have a special responsibility to reflect dignity and self-control and to
be steeped in faith, hope, and endurance. In this way the word of God will not
be discredited. The same ideals are to be held before younger men.
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How many times at work have we gone the extra mile, covered
for someone while they ran a not-so-important errand, or stayed late to finish
the urgent but not really necessary request from the boss, and then not been
thanked for it? How many times at home have we had dinner waiting on the table
when our spouse came home, gassed up our child’s car, or did the grocery shopping,
and then not been thanked for it?
It hurts to not be recognized for doing a good deed, for we
all know that when we trip up, it will be noticed, and we will hear about it.
Loud and clear.
We all enjoy a pat on the back for a job well done and if
any of Jesus’ disciples felt this way, their egos took a big blow when Jesus
told them the parable of the Master and the Servant. The final verses of
today’s Gospel must have really stung: Will he thank the servant because he did
what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were
told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’
What was Jesus really saying to his disciples and to us? Was
the message that all we do for God does not require God to thank or reward us?
That God is the Master and we are the Servants? Most definitely, yes!
The parable makes crystal clear that God is not obligated to
save us, no matter how many good deeds we do, how many times we forgive those
who wrong us, or how much we contribute to the church or to homeless shelters.
Rather, it is imperative we keep front and center that our relationship with
God is one of service performed with devotion, gratitude and love, and not as
the price of a ticket to earn our admission into heaven.
As Christians, we recognize that the very act of serving God
gives our lives meaning and hope. We are bound to obedience out of our love,
duty and loyalty to God and in gratitude for sending his son, who by dying on
the cross, saved us. Serving God does not mean God owes us; what God bestows
upon us is a gift of grace. Salvation is a gift from above, not something we
can earn on earth through our corporal acts of mercy.
We are so blessed that our Lord is a compassionate, loving
and kind God, and the Bible is full of promises that our rewards are great in
heaven. With smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts, let’s continue to
soldier on and love and serve our God and Master; because that is what
Christians do.
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Let us Pray: God, merciful Father, you know what is
in our hearts. Whether our Intercessions are good or selfish, we leave
everything to your compassionate judgment. But this we ask of you: Confirm us
in the will to serve you and our people in loyalty and love and for the rest,
we are in your hands, for you are our God and Father through Jesus Christ our
Lord.
