In the movie, Ben-Hur, one of my favorites, Judah Ben-Hur is a slave to his hatred until he forgives and is healed at the foot of the Cross through Christ's forgiveness.
His hatred melted into love and in the book, Judah becomes a Christian and a missionary for Christ.
He changes from a slave of Rome to a slave of Christ.
But, what is a slave mentality? Some people treat God as a slave.
Some Catholics treat Jesus and Mary like their own personal slaves.
Their prayers resemble this: "Jesus, I want you to do this for me. Mary, please do this for me." And, so on.
Intercessory prayer is not ordering God and His Mother around as if this were the proper attitude of asking.
To intercede is to enter the Throne Room of God. One should enter on one's knees.
Too many Catholics have a laid-back attitude towards God, emphasizing friendship with Christ instead of discipleship. When one lacks the proper perspective of prayer, one is not practicing the virtue of religion, which gives due worship to God.
Too many clergymen and ministers of other Christian denominations have stressed Christ as a Friend to the point of forgetting that He is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
We are not gods. We are humans, usually caught in sin and needing the mercy and grace bought for us on the Cross by God Himself.
We should have a slave mentality.
To ask and ask and ask without deferring to the Will of God reveals not only an immature attitude towards the Trinity but a lack of respect for the Godhead.
St. Louis de Montfort refers to himself and those who consecrate themselves to Mary as slaves.
Let me quote 1 Corinthians 7:22:
For he that is called in the Lord, being a bondman, is the freeman of the Lord. Likewise he that is called, being free, is the bondman of Christ.
We have forgotten what a slave is in our modern days of freedom. A slave is simply a person who no longer has freedom of will or movement, but who is under a bond.
When we die to ourselves completely, when we truly become people of faith, we die to self-will. and are then under the bond of love. This takes courage and generosity. It takes admitting one has been wrong about many things.
We willingly lose our freedom in loving Christ and His Mother.
Those who are closed to love do not understand this type of relationship. They want to remain so free as to have no attachment to God or His Mother.
Another name for such complete freedom is selfishness. Rebellion results.
One becomes one's own god-the real root of all idolatry is self-love based on a rebellious will.
To have a slave mentality towards God takes courage, as one is then placing one's self completely under the Will of God.
But, ironically, in this state of slavery, one finds one's freedom. This is where each one of us should be.
Recently, I had an experience of God taking away my will and giving me His. This is freedom indeed. Not without suffering, however, do we experience this dying to self. I not only understand the words below, but am living in these words....because my will is no longer operative independent from God's Will. In His Will is peace.
God tells me what to do-what He wants; I do not tell Him what I want. I can ask, politely, but only in the Will of God will my prayers be answered. God has delivered me from myself, which is the greatest prison we can experience.
And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me. And that I live now in the flesh: I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself for me. Galatians 2:20
Such is the journey towards perfection-acknowledging one's total dependence of God. And, if we do not put ourselves under the rule of God, we shall be ruled by the world, the flesh, or the devil. There is no middle ground here. One must be open to God's Will totally. Remember, crucifixion was the punishment for slaves. One moves towards the Cross.
St. Paul become a real prisoner because he was already a slave of Christ. He did Christ's bidding daily, constantly, working, living in God's Perfect Will.
Can you choose to do this?
So that my bands are made manifest in Christ, in all the court, and in all other places; Philippians 1:13
To be continued....
