Thank God for the second reading and the gospel reading at today’s mass. The first reading from Job was a real bummer. If that’s all we would have had to chew on for the rest of our day (Job’s tale of woe and drudgery that became his life) it wouldn’t give us much to be thankful for.
But putting all three readings in context, we realize how blessed we are for the freedom to be God’s slaves.
Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, wrote that he took “recompense” for being a slave to the Gospel. And in today’s Gospel from Mark, Jesus didn’t even complain about the day he had, casting out demons and preaching to thousands. In fact he was ready to move on to the next town and do it some more.
If the Son of God could be a slave to the Gospel, what right do we have to complain about the petty drudgeries of our lives? In fact they seem ridiculously lame compared to the challenges Jesus’ disciples faced in taking over for Jesus in spreading his good news.
We are called to take recompense from choosing to be slaves for the gospel and sharing it with our families and everyone else in our lives. For in being slaves, we set our souls free.