one who does more is free...

"when a man does exactly what he is required to do, he is a slave. when he does more than he is asked, he is free"

i came across this quote the other day, and it resonated with me. i feel as though it personifies my faith life over the past few years... in order to remain free, I must exceed the standards laid down for me; to keep loving more than is asked, even when it hurts, because if I stop choosing to love abundantly, if I try to simply meet the status quo, it dries up. It becomes egoistic, I start tallying up and counting down how much love I owe another person. I am a slave to my own egoism.
"no longer slaves," Christ said. "I call you friends."

what does that mean, beyond the grace of God allowing us to be considered equals with Christ? maybe it doesn't mean that we just sit on our laurels and take pride in our equality with Christ, but that we are required to do more, love more, give more... to whom much is given, much will be expected. maybe what makes us free is that we love more than we need to, serve more than we're asked to, give more than we think we can handle - "if a man asks you to carry his bag for a mile, carry it for two" - our servanthood makes us free.

a man who does what is required of him is a slave. one who does more is free. no longer slaves, Christ said. love one another.


it is sacrifice that makes us free, that makes us full. God is using this lenten season to teach me, remind me, what it feels like to freely sacrifice.

in 'introduction to the devout life,' st. francis de sales wrote, "the world, looking on, sees that devout persons fast, watch and pray, endure injury patiently, minister to the sick and poor, restrain their temper, check and subdue their passions, deny themselves in all sensual indulgence, and do many other things which in themselves are hard and difficult. But the world sees nothing of that inward, heartfelt devotion which makes all these actions pleasant and easy."

and what makes it pleasant and easy? that it is done out of love for God the Other. bitterness comes from selfishness. joy comes from love, and love comes from sacrifice. sometimes our hearts must bleed in order to remember how to feel.