When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’ (Luke 17:10)
When you have done all that you have been commanded to do, say: Thanks for giving me something to do!
When he had finished all that he had been commanded to do, Pope St. Leo the Great said: Thank you, Lord, for sending the monophysite heretics, and the Pelagians, and Attila the Hun—to give me something to do!
That was 1,554 years ago today—when Pope St. Leo died and met the Master. 1,554 years seems like a long time ago. But for the One Who commands, a thousand years is like a passing day. The One Who commands has a vastly different concept of how long things take than we do. He works magnificent works that transcend our minds. Blow our minds, when we pause to consider.
How long does it take for God to accomplish His task? How about the entire length of the history of the world! But for Him, that’s no time at all.
Thanks for giving us something to do, Lord. As in: co-operating in the salvation of souls, building the Kingdom, participating in the fulfillment of Your plan for eternal beauty.
If we whine and grow impatient sometimes; if we take our aprons off prematurely, please forgive us. Give us a fresh start on our appointed tasks. Idling on our own just gets us in trouble anyway. Thank you for giving us something to do!
Father Mark White Blog 