Giving without counting the cost

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

IN the gospel, there are two occasions when the expression “unprofitable servant” appears. One is the good kind, while the other the bad kind. The latter appears in the parable of the talents (cfr. Mt 25,14-30) where a servant who received one talent, instead of investing it to earn more, just buried it on the ground. He was criticized by his master for his laziness.

The good kind is the one mentioned in that gospel episode where Christ told his disciples that when a servant did all that he had to do and did not expect anything special for it, would just say: “We are unprofitable servants, we have done what we were obliged to do.” (cfr. Lk 17,5-10)

To have the attitude of the good kind of the unprofitable servant should be a goal in our life. Irrespective of how much we have worked and how many good things we have done, we should not make a big deal since is that is what is actually expected of us.

It is our duty to work and to do good, a natural consequence of who and what we are. We should not feel as if we are entitled to some privileges and other perks, over and above what we need to live our life as decently, humanly and in a Christian way, as possible.

We are not doing God and the others a favor when we serve them. That is what is expected of us. To serve and not to be served was the attitude Christ had, and it should be the same attitude we ought to have. To serve is the language and the action of love. It authenticates any affirmation of love we do, converting it from intention to tangible reality.

Everything should be done gratuitously. This is the law that should govern and characterize our whole life. If our love is authentic, that is, inspired by God’s love for us, then it is shown in serving others wholeheartedly without counting the cost nor expecting any return. It’s completely done for free.

Loving and serving cannot and should not be quantified in terms of cost and reward. It is above all these considerations. It’s a purely spiritual operation that should not be spoiled by giving it some material and temporal value. It’s where we can approximate, keep and build up that dignity of being the image and likeness of God and adopted children of his. It’s how we become God-like.

As man, we of course have our material and temporal needs. These should be attended to as well. We are body and soul, material and spiritual, and both dimensions have their distinctive requirements that have to be met as best that we could.

It’s in this Spirit-inspired loving that makes serving and self-giving an affair where we gain and receive more the more we give ourselves to others. In this regard, Christ said:

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Lk 6,38) And, “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Mt 10,8)

This is how God serves and gives himself to us, with complete gratuitousness. He even goes all the way of still loving and serving us even if we do not reciprocate his love properly. This is how we should serve and give ourselves to the others also.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com