From The Bishop

In the Gospel of St. Luke from the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus states: “So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done’.” This statement seems to stand in stark contradiction to the prevailing sense of entitlement that we so often see today. Some believe that they deserve more for simply doing what is expected of them How often do we hear people justify their actions by saying, “I deserve it!” In the Gospel Jesus states, “Do you thank the slave for doing what is commanded?” This means that there are certain expectations that God has for each one of us. And we do these things with a generous heart because that is what is expected of us. The First Reading from Habakkuk focuses on the sin of pride. He states, “Look at the proud person! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous person lives by their faith.” It is our pride that moves us to be self-centered and to feel entitled. How do we overcome this tendency? The answer is faith. Like the Apostles of the Gospel, we need to ask the Lord to increase our faith. t is faith that gives us the “power and love and self-discipline” that St. Paul speaks about in the Second Reading. It is only this that will help us to overcome our pride and self-centered expectations. It is so difficult to have a grateful heart when we believe that everything that we receive is “owed to us”. Let us ask the Lord to strengthen our faith so that we can be those faithful slaves who do the master’s work while expecting nothing in return. “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we have ought to have done.”