32nd Week, Tuesday, St. Josaphat

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.

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Saint Josaphat

Feast day November 12

Josaphat was born John Kuncevic in the Ukraine around 1580. He worked as a merchant until 1604, when he became a monk of the Ukrainian Order of Saint Basil and took the name Josaphat. Five years later, he was ordained a priest of the Byzantine Church. People came to him for spiritual advice. They were moved by his preaching and by his life, for he fasted often and was faithful to the prayers and customs of the people. In his thirties, he was made bishop of Vitebsk and then archbishop of Polotsk.

He found the diocese in terrible condition, and he saw much unrest among the people. Josaphat had been raised in the Byzantine culture, and he was also faithful to the rule of the Church of Rome. There were strong groups, however, who opposed Rome and Latin rule. These people named their own bishop. Disturbances broke out as people took sides. Josaphat decided to go to Vitebsk, the center of the disturbance. While Josaphat was there, a priest named Elias kept shouting insults at him. A deacon had the priest locked up. The mob rioted and demanded the release of Elias. He was released, but the angry mob broke through all barriers until they made their way to Bishop Josaphat. They beat him and then shot him to death on November 12, 1623. The man who had worked for unity all his life was killed by a violent mob. People were shocked, and much honor was paid to his memory.