Wednesday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Saints John of Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests, and their Companions, Martyrs
Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest
Ephesians 3:2-12 | Isaiah 12 | Luke 12:39-48
The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash.
The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes.
When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him;
when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him. (Luke 12:47-48)
Jesus references the relationship between master and servant quite a few times in parables, alluding to our own status as servants of God. Conversely, St. Paul writes in today’s reading about the knowledge he was given about the central mystery of our faith, God’s plan for our salvation:
his free gift to us in the Beloved, in whom, through his blood, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins. (Ephesians 1:6-7)
Wait, as unbelievers are wont to poke with maximum sarcasm, you Christians are supposed to obey God’s law, so you’re really mindless sheep! What’s all this nonsense about “freedom”?
My dinner last night with a couple of friends and their granddaughter may shed some light on this matter.
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Meet Hillary, a 13-month-old girl with a penchant for water sports and, to hear her grandparents describe her, the determination of her namesake U.S. presidential candidate. As it happened, we were dining near a fountain, to which Hillary expressed great curiosity.
So her grandfather took a few quick bites of his meal, then walked her over to the fountain, so she could reach out and splash water all over her hands and arms, and a good bit on herself too.
After a few minutes, her grandfather tried to lead her back to the dinner table. She disagreed, and began to loudly voice her dissatisfaction with her ye ye‘s tyranny.
And then she sneezed.
And sneezed again.
And a third time.
And she finally simmered down, and let her grandmother lead her to the washroom, to have her nose cleared of snot and her damp clothes changed.
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Like Hillary, we have all been blessed with free will by God. We can, at any moment, choose to:
- get drunk out of our skulls,
- drive in said state of drunkenness, and
- fornicate with abandon.
We’re also free to suffer the consequences of our actions, but think for a moment how your unbelieving friends would react. Perhaps:
- “I lost my job, so of course I got drunk. Anyone would get drunk when they lose their job!”
- “That pedestrian wasn’t watching where she was going, so it was her fault she collided with my car.”
- “You seduced me, and you didn’t use protection, so your baby and my syphilis are both your fault. Press me further, and I’ll have you arrested for prostitution.”
And here’s how Christians worthy of the name would react:
- “That was my fault. My hangover is payment for my overindulgence.”
- “That was my fault. Her death will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
- “That was my fault. Let’s work something out, for the sake of our baby.”
Isn’t it ironic that supposed “champions of free will” also claim that any unsavory actions leading to unpleasant consequences were foisted upon them by external forces, that they had “no free will” in those matters? It’s not for nothing that we Christians call this “the slavery of sin”.
Make no mistake, all of us are free to act as we please. We Christians, however, enjoy the “unfair advantage” of having our eyes opened to the grace that comes with love of God and neighbor, the love of the One who died to free us all. With such grace comes knowledge of what is right and just, and willful deeds in accordance with this knowledge isn’t the slavery of having our actions constrained…
…but the true freedom of a clear conscience, of not constantly looking over our shoulders, cowering in fear of the twin axes of human judgement and divine justice.
Amen.
P.S. I like to attach YouTube videos of songs that connect in some way with the theme of each blog post. Unfortunately, I can’t find an accessible video for today’s song, Come to Set Us Free (Bernadette Farrell), but you can click on this link and play a sample from that product page. I’ll also leave you with the lyrics to the chorus and verse 1, that I think best support today’s post:
Come to set us free, come to make us your own.
Come to show the way to your people, your chosen.
Open our lives to the light of your promise.
Come to our hearts with healing, come to our minds with power,
come to us and bring us your life.You are light which shines in darkness,
Morning Star which never sets.
Open our eyes which only dimly see,
The truth which sets us free.