Reflect today on your motivation for loving service to others

“When you have done all that you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we did what we were obliged to do “. Luke 17: 10b

This is a difficult sentence to say and it is even more difficult to truly understand when it is spoken.

Imagine the context in which this attitude towards Christian service must be expressed and lived. For example, imagine a mother who spends the day cleaning and then preparing the family meal. At the end of the day, it's certainly nice to be recognized for her hard work and to be thanked for it. Of course, when the family is grateful and recognizes this loving service, this gratitude is wholesome and is nothing more than an act of love. It's good to be grateful and express it. But this passage is not so much about whether we should strive to be grateful for the love and service of others, but rather about our motivation for service. Do you need to be thanked? Or do you provide a service because it is good and right to serve?

Jesus makes it clear that our Christian service to others, whether in the family or in some other context, must be primarily motivated by a certain duty of service. We must serve out of love regardless of the receptivity or recognition of others.

Imagine, then, if you spent your day in some service and that service was done for the sake of others. So imagine no one has expressed gratitude for your work. Should this change your commitment to service? Should the reaction, or lack of reaction, of others prevent you from serving as God wants you to serve? Certainly not. We must serve and fulfill our Christian duty simply because it is the right thing to do and because it is what God wants of us.

Reflect today on your motivation for loving service to others. Try saying these gospel words in the context of your life. It can be difficult at first, but if you can serve with the mind that you are an "unprofitable servant" and that you have done nothing but what you were "obligated to do", then you will find that your charity takes on a whole a new depth.

Lord, help me to serve freely and with all my heart for the love of you and others. Help me to give myself regardless of the reaction of others and to find satisfaction only in this act of love. Jesus I believe in you.