The word that struck me in the Suffering Servant song this morning was that of “recompense.” Yesterday’s song employed God’s voice. Today, the song is sung by God’s servant. Though we have come to think of these songs as being about Jesus, we can also look at ourselves as the servant of God.
Recompense is a way of dealing with debts. God is owed a debt because of Adam’s fall. However, the servant is also owed a debt. Toiling in the Lord’s vineyard brings with it a different kind of payment than we might be used to. God, however, is generous in caring for our needs.
By following God’s will, by allowing God to use our strength, we are extending God’s gift of salvation to the entire world. As our reward or recompense, we will possess God in our own lives. What gift could be more precious? How could we want for anything else once we have experienced God dwelling within us?
The song speaks to the notion that this was God’s plan for us since before our birth. By responding to the call that God has given us, by cooperating with God’s grace, we continue to further the growth of God’s reign.
I am sure that you do not think of the Eucharist as a form of payment. Yet this gift we receive each day is a bond of surety, perhaps some would call it a “down payment,” on the promise that someday we can be sure that we shall be recompensed for our efforts.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator