Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 481

Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that each will be requited from the Lord
for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

 A Jewish rabbi explained the principles of kosher to me thus: the Word of God is sacred and cannot be dismissed. If the Lord spoke to his people in the desert using metaphors of the desert, we must find ways to keep that word in the city where we live. If no one prepares goat meat and we're not likely to boil a kid goat in its mother's milk; God's authoritative word remains. And so Jews develop kosher rules, including never using the same pans to prepare milk products and meat products, out of their deep reverence for the Law of God. 

If slavery is illegal and persists only in the shadows of any capitalist system, can we ignore the Apostle's teaching about slavery? I think not. Nor can we dismiss God's word by simply saying, "Slavery is a terrible thing, and what else does the Bible tell us?" Much could also be said about the rights of workers in a capitalist system but that complex discussion can wait for another occasion. 

If slaves were the ordinary workers of Roman empire, employees in this world of socialized capitalism are also expected and required to give their employers obedience and loyalty to make their "companies" work. The work company implies companionship. It means, "We're in this together. We can prosper together if we support one another and conduct ourselves honorably, when the owner/bosses are watching and when they're not." 

In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul urged his people, 

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Avoid giving offense, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in every way, not seeking my own benefit but that of the many, that they may be saved.

The worst, most demanding, most exhausting kind of labor; that work which is least likely to be satisfying or done satisfactorily: is that which we don't want to do. If it's necessary, it must be good, and we can accept it in the service of our Good God. Even as the Lord embraced his cross and carried it willingly with us.