Like the servant in the field in today’s gospel, there is one key to the difference between a service of burden and a service of love, that is, how we look at the one and the ones for whom we work. A parent will get up at night for his/her week-old baby. An immigrant will work two jobs so that her ten-year old brother can have a better life than she does. A husband will wake up hour after hour in the night to make sure that his sick wife is still breathing. We will do these things for one whom we love, even when they are difficult and require significant sacrifice. In our society today serving the Lord may require that kind of sacrifice. In a world where truth and concern for others is lost in self interest and the desire for power, following the Lord can be challenging. That’s why it is important to always keep before our eyes the fact that the one we serve girded his loins, put on a towel and washed his disciples’ feet. Then he gave himself up for us on the cross. This is the story of stories that the Holy Spirit wishes to embed into our hearts. When our lives are based on this truth, then serving the Lord, even when difficult, is a joy.
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