To help only when you want to help is not really to help. To serve only when you want to serve is not really to serve. That’s just the harsh truth of it, Christian or otherwise.

To help genuinely, to serve truly, one must put oneself at the disposal of something or someone. One must give oneself entirely. A mother, for instance, gives herself to her children and by that gift she gives up choosing when she’ll be a mother. She doesn’t say, “I’ll be a mom only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” Rather, she’s a mom every day, every hour. She doesn’t pick when she gets to be a mom; instead, she picks motherhood. Which is why motherhood is indeed a whole new life.

And it’s a good example of what it means to be a servant in Christian terms. “So it should be with you,” Jesus says to his disciples. When you’re done with the task at hand, don’t congratulate yourself, don’t ask for rest or reward. Say instead, Jesus teaches, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do” (Lk 17:10). Harsh sounding advice, yes. But it illustrates just what sort of servants Jesus expects us to be: not part-time but full-time Christians. No breaks or cheap rewards, just the cross: that’s the mentality Jesus expects of his followers. Arduous yes, but what’d you expect? Jesus went all in, you see. And he wants you to go all in too.

So, what does this mean? It means we should ask ourselves at least these questions. First: Do you serve? Second: How do you serve? How much time do you give helping others? Do you serve your church community at all? Do you serve your neighborhood or your city? Do you only serve when it fits your schedule? Can people call upon you when they need you and not just when you’re available? What is the quality of your service? These are the questions this gospel from Luke provokes. Together they are an examination of conscience for those who dare to call themselves servants.

And so, let’s be grateful Christ invites us to serve, but let’s also commit ourselves genuinely. That is, let’s understand what Christian service really means, that it’s a 100% endeavor and nothing less. Because Christ gave all so that we could too.