Septuagesima Sunday 5 February 2023 Working for God
Working for God is a much happier course than just aimlessly trying to find meaning in life; often choosing paths which make it worse.
Whereas working for God we have direction and help. We know where we are going and we have the grace to get there.
Working for God can be visible tasks, such as visiting the sick or building a church. It can take in other things less visible such as the silent offering of pain.
It really means doing whatever the situation requires, whether it be something we do only once in a lifetime or something we do every day.
Being set in time we cannot do everything we need to do at one time, so we take each moment and give it to God, asking Him to make use of it in His plans.
Why does God expect us to work in His name, if Christ has already saved us?
It enables us to express our gratitude for God’s first loving us. Not just a verbal gratitude but activated to do more good along the same lines as God has done for us.
Beyond tasks of whatever sort, working for God will mean that we are in union with Him at every moment.
He values our work but does not really need it, as He could work any miracle to achieve the same result.
He values that we love Him enough to want to serve Him.
It is the thought that counts here. In a marriage, for instance, husband and wife can do certain things for each other, but that would not be the main reason for marrying.
The husband would not say, I love my wife because she cooks so well. Nor the wife say that I love my husband so much because he is good at fixing things.
Nor do we stop loving if the other person becomes sick and unable to do those things anymore.
This is a clue to how God sees us. It is not so much what we do, as the spirit in which we do it.
So when God asks us to work in His vineyard we understand there is a lot more involved than just clocking on and off like a workman.
Full commitment is called for. The sooner we start the better, giving us more chance to serve God and to grow spiritually.
It is sad when people see God only as a taskmaster who demands certain things from us, but otherwise does not care about us.
God does command certain things but only to bring us to the point that we would have done it anyway. For example, we do not steal, because we understand how wrong stealing us.
The rules can be helpful but are not meant to be our final state of understanding..
There will come a time when we really can do whatever we like, because we like the right things.
The sooner we grasp God's way of seeing things, the better for everyone.
Those who work through the heat of the day have more time to understand their position. This is our category.
We do not envy those who are late in starting because they are missing out on the happiness that comes from conscious union with God.
Those who serve Him in this life and the next are the happiest people.
So much misery in the world would be overcome if more people understood the way of true happiness.
We rejoice for those who do make this discovery, early or late.
For those still outside the invitation still stands. But better get in quick, because time is limited!
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