By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ
Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of hirelings? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a
hireling who waits for his wages. So I
have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to
me. Job 7:1-3
Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a
slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. To the weak I became weak, to win over the
weak. I have become all things to all,
to save at least some. All this I do for
the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it. 1 Corinthians 9:19,
22-23
On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon
and Andrew with James and John. Simon’s
mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They
immediately told him about her. He
approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on
them. Mark 1:29-31
Piety
Piety is what makes our
lives worthwhile. It gives spice and
icing to what we are about for the Lord. It is the source of the happiness and the
peace we have in what we are about for the sake of the Lord. Job when all the extras of life were taken
away from him felt miserable about his life. He felt like a hireling waiting for what was
his due. With all the blessings of life
that are family and friends gone he felt bereft because he had no externals to
show that his life was special to anyone. Even his three friends were berating him for the
something bad he must have done to be treated so badly by God. He felt that his life was like the wind. He felt blown around by all the forces of
evil. He had nothing to show for
himself. All the forces of evil seemed
to be falling upon him. In his desolation
his friends would not allow him to rejoice in his awareness of living a good
life for God.
Study
Paul talks about himself as
a slave to all. His preaching of the
gospel was an obligation imposed on him by the call of Christ. How we study what we do to make certain that
what we do is done out of love of God who called us! If we do it as an obligation, how is what we
do an expression of the love of God within us. We study how to make our lives into an
expression of Christ who was the good news of god’s love for us. WE TRY TO MAKE OURSELVES A SLAVE OF ALL THAT
WHAT WE DO MIGHT BE MORE THAN IS ASKED OF US. WE ARE FREE WHEN WE DO MORE THAN WHAT IS ASKED
OF US SINCE WHAT WE DO is more than what is asked and IS NOT EXPECTED.
Action
We try to heal the
brokenhearted that we might be like Christ. We do our best to offer our services that we
too might be the good news of God’s love in the world. We acknowledge our weakness that the strength
of God might be seen in us. We try to do
something for everyone that we might have done something for each one in the
name of Christ. We do our best for the
sake of the gospel so that in becoming all things to all, we may at least save
some of the people we serve for the sake of the Gospel. When we go off by ourselves to pray that our
ministry might be the work of Christ in us, we imitate Christ. We do all for the sake of the gospel that we
might have a share in it. We try to go
wherever we are needed that like Christ we might extend the kingdom of God. Thus, we can say that we no longer live, but
Christ lives in us.
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