Should we do good to be rewarded?

Should we do good to be rewarded?

Mark 10:28-31. Many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.

Should we do good to be rewarded?

The preaching is charity and unconditional love. My reservations about doing good because we want to be saved is that this reasoning is ultimately consequentialist; with regards to an anticipated reward. Isn’t this conditional?

Perhaps the message is simple yet profound: we should do good to be good. Doing good is to be authentic to who we are, embracing our natural curiosity and predisposition towards flourishing.

The story of the philosopher’s stone seems like a paradox: the one who lusts for the stone is most undeserving, yet the one who seeks but is reluctant and humble is the most deserving.

If we do things because we expect salvation and the eternal life after our worldly death, then this may distract us from the point of the commandment of love: love by default. Loving for loving’s sake.

I have a somewhat “uncomfortable” insight on faith: what it means to have faith is not to expect reward from the other who we have faith on. Expectation and entitlement dilutes gratitude.

Faith is about doing and being good without regards to consequences. The miracle is that if every person embraces this principle, then the world will be like the Kingdom of God. But humans inevitably have flaws; so the challenge:

Can we keep the faith, keep on loving, and keep on being good despite the flaws and suffering we will inevitably encounter? Are we willing to get uncomfortable?

If yes, then maybe we are truly one step closer towards salvation. Or at least, we honor who truly are: good.



[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 60: MARCH 1, 2022]