The Gospel according to Matthew (8:5-11)
When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Reflection: Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya rewarded 2000 Chobani employees with 10% of the company’s shares, he announced this in person at the main Chobani factories in New York. The Greek yogurt company had humble beginnings in 2006 when it started production of yogurt in an old craft manufacturing plant, but now the company is worth an estimated of an excess of $3 billion. Hamdi Ulukaya said he would transfer up to 10% of shares if the company is sold or goes public, which means employees could take home an average of $150,000, and those at the company would longer tenures potentially receive over $1 million. Shares will be given to every full-time Chobani employee and are designed as an incentive reward to continue to drive the Greek yogurt company forward. Ulukaya said, “This isn’t a gift. It is a mutual promise to work together with a shared purpose and responsibility, to continue to create something special and of lasting value. (Article taken from the Dairy Reporter May 3rd 2016.)
This concept is unheard of in this world today but look at the incentive versus the reward, everyone wins. Everyone is happy at home and at work. There probably isn’t any drama or office feuds. And life goes on with new things to tackle.
This story is about a powerful man that could call his shots in his life and really didn’t need anyone to make him more influential or powerful. He humbled himself and chose to care for other people. Other people were placed before themselves.
In this story, there is something saintly about this centurion. He is a model of compassion and humbleness. Taking great pains on behalf of a slave. In those days, the more common attitude would have been to discard a slave once he could no longer work. Though an officer of the imperial army, he humbles himself and begs a favor of this travelling rabbi, Jesus. And by doing this, he becomes a model of faith, recognizing the authority of Jesus, who marvels at him.
This is what this world needs, and it doesn’t matter what you believe in or what religious affiliation you belong to. This world is starving for the compassion and the humility to put your neighbor before you which ultimately would bring peace, love, and joy to all of us.
Action of the Day: Meditate on these two virtues. Compassion and Humility. Are these virtues that you possess, or do you need to work on it? Either way, ask yourself what you can do to be more compassionate or humble?
Website link: https://deacon5.com/
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