Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
In the Gospel today, Jesus seeks to train the hearts of his apostles never to be arrogant, braggadocious, or boastful about what we have done for the Lord. All things considered, no matter how much they have done in the service of the Lord, they should say to themselves, “we have done what we were obliged to do.”
But what is this obligation? Well, for the apostles then and for us today, the obligation is one elicited by love. The bonds compelling us are the cords of charity. God has preempted us with his eternal, infinite love and never ceases to pour out innumerable blessings upon us. On account of his sheer goodness, God has created us out of nothing and recreated us through the Incarnation and Passion of Christ Jesus. Still today God sustains us at every moment, guides us by his Divine Providence, gives us the priceless gifts of the Sacraments and the Church, and confers a superabundant bounty of graces through the people and circumstances of our lives.
For those who have been loved, the heart freely, as it were, places itself under an obligation to return love. For those who have been loved so much by God, the heart longs always to love the Lord more and more. The heart of a true lover knows no complacency in its love for the beloved. It is never self-satisfied. The flames of love never say “I have done enough for my beloved.” And so, whatever great things we may have done or may do for God, our hearts will always say, “we have merely done what our love has obliged me to do.”