“What We Were Obliged to Do” by Melanie Rigney (@melanierigney)

“What We Were Obliged to Do” by Melanie Rigney (@melanierigney)

Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. (Wisdom 3:1)

I will bless the Lord at all times. (Psalm 34:2a)

“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’? 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’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? 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.’” (Luke 17:7-10)

Piety

Lord, I seek to do Your will, today and always.

Study

I’m in this situation. The rules are clear. They’ve been elucidated in meetings big and small, in documents, in videos. Yet resistance and argumentativeness continue. On the days that the rules do get followed, one of the recalcitrants acts as if a big brass band should be playing and hearty congratulations offered.

It’s gone on long enough that I no longer get angry or upset. I’m past that, and into weariness.

Today’s Gospel reading made me think of how weary God must be with me:

• "I went to Mass even though I would have preferred to sleep in. YAY ME!”
• "I got the Bible study lesson done with a whole hour to spare. YAY ME!”
• "I managed to arrange my face and not roll my eyes and sigh in one challenging conversation today, never mind the other five. YAY ME!”

I mean, seriously! Why is there that expectation of heavenly atta-girls and boys on the occasions we manage to do His will? When you think about it, it’s downright amazing and gracious that we receive as many boosts as we do from Him. The baseline is that we love Him with all our beings 24/7. If we manage to do that four waking hours a day, that’s no cause for celebration with an expectation of rewards, but rather an opportunity to do better the remaining eight to ten hours when the next day rolls around.

After all, that is what we are obliged to do.

Action

Attempt to go the entire day without asking the Lord to note your obedience. Don’t worry; He will without your prompting anyway.

Photo Credit: klimkin/Pixabay https://pixabay.com/photos/peacock-tail-male-peacock-s-tail-1476507/.