Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Swollen-Headed

Do not become swollen-headed if you have served well, because you have only done what you were supposed to do.----St. Ambrose of Milan (4th century)
 
Jesus told the parable of the worker in the field who came in after a hard day of work and then served his master before serving himself. We are expected to work for God. We are called to serve. Jesus said the greatest among you will be the one who serves the best. We should be trying to outdo one another in kindness, mercy, respect, and service! Beware of the thought that comes to everyone, "I deserve something." This is the beginning of much misery! We deserve one thing, hell. While we were still in our sin, Jesus died for us. We owe Him everything. We owe Him our love, our prayers, our devotion, our honesty, and our respect. We must nurture our fear of God, for it is the beginning of wisdom. We must have a deep and abiding respect for Him and His way. We must beware the swollen-head!
 
wkm
 
Saint Ambrose in His Study, ca. 1500. Spanish, Palencia. Wood with traces of polychromy. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

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