By Praveen Bandula, CSC –
Readings: Wis 2: 23- 3: 9, Lk 17: 7-10
Through the readings of the day the Lord is inviting us to be faithful in our responsibilities as well as to be sensitive to others who are working with us and under us. Everyone has a responsibility to fulfill. Everyone wants to be wanted, respected and recognized by others for the work we do, at the same time it is our duty to appreciate who are working with us and under us.
The value of the person is not judged by the work he/she does rather the importance of the work that is being done. For example, if a sweeper is absent for one day in our institutions, we know how dirty the place will be. The society treats with respect only those who hold white color jobs. We fail to see the contributions of the helpers who work daily to keep our institutions and places clean and neat.
In the Gospel Jesus is asking us, how do we respect them? Do we treat them with respect and dignity as important employees or as low category workers? And in the first reading, the Lord assures that ‘having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself’.
So, let us offer our daily responsibilities to the Lord, because when we offer them, he will bless all of us so that we will be found worthy in his sight. Whatever the problem we face in our works he will give strength to face them. It is easy to order someone to do that or this work, when we put ourselves in their place and start to help them surely the Lord will reward us for our generosity and simplicity.