Wednesday of the
Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
(Romans 6:12-18; Luke 12:39-47)
Although the comparison with American slavery is troublesome,
St. Paul often describes himself and his converts as “slaves of God.” He believes that people should not hesitate
to trust themselves to a benevolent master like the Lord. Paul sees the situation as imminently better
than that of people who are under the aegis of a lax master. In today’s reading from his letter to the
Romans he describes both situations.
According to Paul, Christ has liberated those who accept
him as Lord from sin. Now they have a
choice. They can either give themselves
over to their liberator as, in a sense, slaves to him. Or they can hang free. If they take the latter course, they will
soon find themselves slaves again to some material obsession. Pleasure, power, and prestige are three
common masters who may be lax but under whom subjects are ruined. Meanwhile, following the commands of the Lord
leads to happiness and eternal life.
We may recoil at the words “slaves of God” because of the
often bitter experience of American slaves.
Yet we could not put ourselves in better hands. God will not always dictate to us what we
must do. Rather, like wise parents when children
mature, He will give us increasing autonomy.
We cannot do better with any other master.
