The Gospel reading today talks of duty in the sense that is shared by parents who make sacrifices for their children, or by members of the armed services who risk their lives for their country. We are morally obliged to God for everything, from our lives to the world around us. Everything has been given to us by God. We owe God for everything, and God would be entitled to command our absolute obedience. But God’s way is not generally to issue strict demands of us; rather, God issues the invitation to us to accept the gift of faith, openly and freely, with our minds as well as our hearts. Jesus’ words in the Gospel today assure us that even a tiny amount of faith, a minute mustard seed of it, can go a very long way. It can change our lives. It can even bring us into relationship with the Divine. The illustration Jesus uses today reminds us that in His day slaves and masters were not equals.
We do not deserve the life of glory, the life everlasting in bliss, any more than we deserved the life we were given at our conception. We cannot claim heaven as a right, as payment for good behavior, or regular attendance at Mass, or for being generally nice person. All is gift, and we have been given the freedom to accept it or not.