Daily Reflection Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

 I find the word “slave” negative and demeaning because it reminds me of how people from the Roman times to the Native Americans to the African Americans to Child Labor have been belittled and degraded. Perhaps, now is a good time to evaluate the meaning of “slave” in our own lives. In our first reading today, Paul tells us that we are no longer slaves to sin. Ah! We are freed from a different kind of slavery. But isn’t it so easy to slip back and allow ourselves to become slaves of our own selfishness? Every day we hear about groups of people or individuals who randomly shoot, hit, kill, or maim other people for no particular reason. Are these unresolved mental problems, or have the perpetrators become slaves of their own passions of envy, anger, hatred?

“Slave” is a loaded word!

    Paul tells us that sin no longer has power over us because we have the gift of grace.   We know that although grace is a gift, each of us must evaluate our daily living in order to keep ourselves in the mantle of God’s gift. Living in grace is a very practical way of life.

    In our gospel today, Jesus warns us to take care of our gifts of grace that we have been given through Scripture and the personal relationship we are developing with our God. So, how practical is this way of life? I am sure that if we are regular readers of this column, we desire to live the commandments in the framework of the beatitudes and virtues. I may not pull the trigger of a gun on anyone, but I may injure and possibly kill a person with my words of lying, exaggerating, or just plain hurt. 

    Jesus also tells us that a true follower of him is faithful, just, righteous, honest, and respects human rights. Let us look on the words in today’s gospel as an invitation for each of us to take time to sit nose to nose with our God in prayer.

Allowing God to look deep into our hearts—a look filled with love—we review our words, our actions towards those we don’t like. We beg for the grace to appreciate differences in people. As Greg Boyle, SJ, has written: “We forgive everyone everything.” St. Ignatius always encouraged his followers to sit with God at the end of the day and review where we have wandered into our own selfishness and where we have shown love.

    I do believe that if we sit with a loving gaze on our God at the end of each day and reviewed our actions, our relationship with the Divine would strengthen us in all relationships! Perhaps, this relationship of grace could heal our family differences, feuds, even wars!

The Truth

I still believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is:

I believe in my power to transform indifference into love.

I believe I have an amazing gift to keep hope alive in the face of despair.

I believe I have the remarkable skill of deleting bitterness from my life.

I believe in my budding potential to live with a nonviolent heart.

I believe in my passion to speak the truth even when it isn’t popular.

I believe I have the strength of will to be peace in a world of violence.

I believe in my miraculous capacity for unconditional love.

I will believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is.

                                                                                                 --Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB