To serve God. Tuesday 32nd Week Ordinary Time of the Year

 

Luke 17:7-10

 

 

To serve God, we do what we ought to do. This involves what we do because of who we are. Do you know that It is our duty and responsibility to serve God.

 

Many times we see our relationship with God as a burden. Sometimes it looks like worshipping God and serving Him is so burdensome that we pay no attention to it. But if truly we are deeply concerned with how to live with God after our earthly sojourn, always know that we have to do what we ought to do to be there. And when we are doing what we ought to do, we should not consider it as a burden.

Hence, to serve God, willingly and willfully is what we ought to do. It is our earthly and moral responsibility to do so.

 

I can remember how we used to take exams in the seminary. Examinations in the seminary is always a tedious moment. During this time, many can go to silent and calmest places to read. Some people lose weight even. Sometimes they forget they have breakfast just to make sure they do a proper revision before attending the examination of the day.

During our final year examinations, one of us changed his own hours of modus operandi. Instead of being awake in the day and sleeping in the night, he sleeps only two to three hours in the day to be awake at night.

 

When we asked him why this type of schedule, He told us “ I am doing what I am supposed to do to pass my exams”. To be the best, he has to change His schedule.

 

The examination is something we must do, then in order to do it, we have to change our daily routines to be part of the exams, take the exams and pass.

 

The reason we are in this world is to serve God. We have to see it and something we must do. It is the reason we are born, it is why we are here and nothing more. It is our duty. We do not have any excuse not to. So, We must find ways to do this no matter how busy we are.

 

The Gospel

In the Gospel, Jesus uses the master-servant relationship in His day to explain our duty towards God. The gospel looks so difficult to interpret but we thank the Holy Spirit who is the teacher of every biblical passage in giving some insights to this.

Jesus asks “who will allow a servant to come and dine with the master as a sign of appreciation for his work, especially after coming back from work. None, but instead , the master will pester him to get the master’s food ready and later he will eat and drink. The master must not be grateful to the servant but the servants will refer to themselves as unprofitable servants who have done nothing if not their duty”.

 

By implication, when they are doing what they ought to do, they should not expect that the master owes them or begins to heap praises on them. What that servant does is what he ought to do. It is his duty and responsibility.

 

The Key Points

1.Whatever we do to keep our relationship with God is our duty and response to God who loves us so much. To serve God, we have to do what we ought to do. We are not doing them necessarily because someone tells you to do it nor are we to be forced to do anything for God. We do them because it is what we ought to do as children of God.

 

2. This is when you forgive not because you were advised to, but because of who you are as a child of God. It is when we help, save, teach, create peace, love, bless people, pray to God, etc because we know we cannot but do them. It is already in our DNA as children of the God that we ought to do them to truly serve God.

So, when we pray and fast, we do not expect God to start clapping for us. We do them because, it is our duty and responsibility to commune with our God.

 

Just like my friend did what he ought to do to pass His examination if we truly love God, we have to do what we ought to do to truly serve God.

 

3. Secondly, everything God does for us is out of His love and magnanimity. God does not owe anyone because we have been serving Him or because of what we do for him. We do them because this is what we ought to do.

 

4.God’s reward is His to decide. God is not owing you because you are doing fifty days of prayers and fasting or because you help people and thus when you don’t see the reward, you lose hope in God, No. He acts out of His will. Your duty is to pray. It is what we are to do and He decides when and how to respond to us. He may even decide not to answer the way we want.

God answers every prayer. His answer can be Yes, or No, or Wait.

 

4. Thirdly, Jesus expects his followers to serve and work for Him with their whole heart and not like people who are forced. We are not supposed to be forced to do good, to pray, to help, love, forgive, bless, have mercy etc. We have to do them. They are our responsibilities.

 

5. Finally, In this gospel, Jesus did not say, there will not be a reward. There may be but the servants have to go on their business. The reward may be now, tomorrow or delayed but must be at the pleasure of the master. The master decides when to reward you. He can also decide not to reward your efforts now but keep it for you on the last day.

Maybe you prayed for something, but instead of doing it for you immediately, God withholds it and save it as a source of grace to save our instead. He decides which one is better for us.

 

So, We do not pray to force God. We do not perform good works to push Him. Everything He does is by His grace and love. And whatever we are doing is our duty and responsibility. Let us understand this.

 

May God bless you dearest and give us the grace to do what we ought to do as His children. May He also answer your prayers and surround you with His grace. Amen