“Oar voluntarily”

“There are no galley-slaves in the royal vessel of divine love–every man works his oar voluntarily! ” St. Francis de Sales

One of the disadvantages of being the youngest is getting the household chores when your older siblings go off to college. I was given the task of cutting the grass in 7th grade and continued straight through High School. In the beginning, I tried to avoid this chore and kept myself intentionally “busy” caddying, golfing or playing with my friends to postpone this task as long as possible. Then my mom pulled me aside and said, “Michael, you know how important it is to your dad to have the grass cut every week, and you know when it needs to be cut. Is it too much to ask that you do this on your own, without being constantly told? It would make your dad very happy!” I soon began to “oar voluntarily”, and even offered it up for souls, and it really wasn’t so bad!

 

About Father Michael Sliney, LC

Father Michael Sliney was ordained a priest in Rome on December 24, 1998. He studied mechanical engineering at Michigan State University for two years before entering the Legion. As a seminarian he earned a bachelors in philosophy from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas and degrees in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum College in Rome. He works with youth groups in the Washington D.C. area.
This entry was posted in RC Live. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *