The Gospel according to Luke (17:7-10)
Jesus said to the Apostles:
“Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?
Would he not rather say to him,
‘Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished’?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’”
Reflection:
Today’s Gospel caused me to look at this saying of Jesus in a very different way. This is the time of year in many companies when managers do performance reviews of those who report to them. I don’t directly manage anyone now, but have in the past written such reviews. In a perfect circumstance, the manager and the one managed would keep a log of the highs and lows of the year and refer to that when reviewing the year. I know from personal experience that it doesn’t usually go like that.
It comes down to what I recall of that employee’s contributions or challenges, and how they correlate to what their job description says. If the employee met the requirements of their job description, but did not do anything noteworthy otherwise, it didn’t mean that they weren’t valued or that their contributions did not matter. Truly, the employees I recall most were the ones who were deficient in some way, or who did something above and beyond what was expected. I like to think that, as an employee, I try to do more than the minimum of what is expected. And, I do recall those employees I managed who also did so.
Here’s the point I want to make that relates this “performance reviews” rambling to the Gospel today. God is not like any human manager, in that He doesn’t check in with us occasionally to see that we are still “doing our job”. No. He is there with us *always*, and He is available to us *always* to be a part of the highs and lows of our days. He is looking for how we carry out His love in the world. He’s not looking at us with a scorecard to see how many times we went to Mass, or how many times we prayed. He’s longing for each of us to love like He does, and to let others in our lives know that they, too, are special in His eyes.
What a blessing it is for each of us to have that promise from our all-loving, all-knowing Creator! May we seek each day to share His love so that we will be seen as “good and faithful servants”, and welcomed to share eternity forever in heaven with Him! That’s a “performance review” that will have rewards unlike anything we could ever even imagine!
Action for the Day:
Take time today to ask God to show you something you can do that is a bit “above and beyond” and share His love with someone in your life today.
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DEACON5 