Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 435

I do not even pass judgment on myself;
I am not conscious of anything against me,
but I do not thereby stand acquitted;
the one who judges me is the Lord.

We find in this brief teaching of Saint Paul both freedom and bondage. Faith sets us free from a great concern about human respect; that is, about what others think. As Father Joe Herp -- God rest his soul -- once said, 

"When I was young I worried about what others think of me. And then I decided I don't care what others think about me. And now I realize people don't think about me at all!" (That's when I decided to wear sandals with my compression socks.)

We have better things to think about, and greater concerns on our minds. But we're often dissuaded from what we should do by the nagging worry about what others will think, say, or do. Or how they'll feel about something we've done. 

I heard a teacher of young children say, "If I am not taking risks, I am not doing my job." That principle seems to apply to everyone, and every responsibility we have. As Jesus said about the plowman, "“No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) After due concern for the effects of our decisions upon others, we must set our faces as Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem, and get on with it. 

But neither are we free to do whatever we think or feel is right. The price of freedom is far higher than we think, and we must consider its dimensions. When I spoke with Veterans who were searching for freedom from addictions to alcohol, tobacco, and (God knows what other) substances, I insisted, "We are cursed with freedom." We are responsible for the decisions we make and the decisions we don't make. 

Blessed John Duns Scotus insisted we have a choice of yes, no, and not yes. We may decide not to decide, but we're responsible for that as well. And that's why I insist we're cursed with freedom, and have no choice but to live with our choices. 

"...the one who judges me is the Lord." Saint Paul said. 

A secular society challenges our belief in God's final authority. They do not suppose there will be a Judgment Day. Many do not even suppose they will die! Nor do they understand that others must live with the consequences of their decisions. A motorcycle rider who refuses to wear a helmet might burden his wife and children with enormous medical debts and the care of a head injured old man. But he says he loves his freedom. 

Our faith insists that we are responsible to the Lord for our thoughts, opinions, attitudes, decisions, and deeds. We are God's servants and must seek daily guidance in consultation with God's Spirit. We must ask ourselves, "What am I, as a disciple of Jesus, to do?" 

...like the eyes of servants

on the hand of their masters,

Like the eyes of a maid

on the hand of her mistress,

So our eyes are on the LORD our God,

till we are shown favor.

Show us favor, LORD, show us favor,

for we have our fill of contempt.

Our souls are more than sated

with mockery from the insolent,

with contempt from the arrogant. (Psalm 123)

There is nothing more enjoyable than the assurance that we are serving the Lord. Our bondage is sweet for we remember the price he has paid for us:

Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree,” (Galatians 3:13) 

And,

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)