Slave of Love

Lately what has been resonating with me from Scripture is slave to righteousness, slave of God, obedient slave. The word slave suggests control, subjugation to another, you are not your own person, but you belong to someone else. There is nothing pleasant about being a slave. And yet, it is a word Saint Paul uses frequently in his letter to the Romans, who knew exactly what slavery meant.

I took my commitment last Sunday, which was more than just a commitment to my brothers and sisters in community, for it was also a renewal of my baptismal covenant with God.  It was an action on my part to declare publicly that I am a slave of God, and I am happy to belong to Him - a far cry from the day of my baptism when I was only 12 days old, and it was my parents who gifted me with the awesome gift of baptism, out of their love for me. I will be eternally grateful for their consecrating me to the Lord, for it has shaped my life so powerfully, especially in the last 20 years when I began to take my baptism much more seriously.

What does being a slave mean in concrete terms? It means that I place His will above mine in all areas of my life, so I must be careful to love Him by always doing what is right and good for the other, and not merely go for low hanging fruit or self-preservation, that is, be a minimal or nominal Christian. I cannot take a raincheck when I am tired, or just want to goof off. Faithfulness requires obedience, perseverance, endurance, discipline, humility, energy, effort, joy, peace, and courage to be a good witness despite the sacrifice, hardship, and an inner inclination to say no. Say hello to struggles, tears, sweat and exhaustion – even desolation. It is all that, and more. 

So why did I make a commitment when it seems impossible to carry out, knowing full well, I will fail numerous times? I love Him. It is as simple as that. He is my portion and cup. The sun rises and sets on Him. I am the apple of His eye, His beloved, His pearl of great price. And I say yes to allowing myself to be moved by Him, His Spirit, His reason, His love for all those around me. I know I am wonderfully made by Him and I want to live up to this by saying as Mother Mary did: My soul magnifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my saviour.

I chose to offer up to the Lord a small statue of Our Lady of Fatima for I desire to be like Mother Mary, who always listened with humility, and I wish to heed her words to follow Jesus, and do whatever He tells me. I also chose my rosary as an offering for prayer, constant prayer, will be my weapon against evil. In my commitment which I could pen myself, I chose a verse from Micah 6:8 for to me, it tells me exactly what I need to do to be a good and faithful servant, an obedient slave:

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; 

and what does the Lord require of you 

but to do justice, and to love kindness 

and to walk humbly with your God?