We are Servants, not Mere Workers (Tuesday, Week 32, Year 2, St Leo)

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Servants have designated duties which are assigned to them, and these must be accomplished. Servants do not decide if they will work or not, nor do they say they will do only a little bit because others are not working. A good servant continues to do his assigned tasks regardless of what may be happening elsewhere. A servant is not and should not be motivated by praises or adulations or material gains/remunerations. A servant is motivated by satisfaction to duty which comes from the fact that he or she has done what is supposed to be done. 

In the gospel (cf. Luke 17:7-10), Jesus highlights some points for consideration as regards how we should see ourselves: as unworthy servants. A Christian is not just a worker; a Christian should see himself/herself as a servant, as a witness: a servant to Jesus the grand master. And thus, as servants, we must always aim at doing the right thing, living and teaching the right doctrine. Our disposition, motivation and satisfaction should come from “job well done and life well lived” not from praises or material gains expected. 

And all that we are supposed to do have been outlined for us in the first reading: St Paul’s Letter to Titus (cf. Titus 2:1-8. 11-14). In the words of St Paul, we are supposed to lead godly lives whether as husbands, wives, children, priests, lay persons, and so on. As servants of Jesus, we must do away with a “reward” mentality: should not expect anything in return for doing what we should be doing. A politician somewhere was complaining that the party he was “serving” does not have a good reward system. Such a person may not have a good Christian heart for service because he may still be expecting material rewards for his service to the Church. Whether we are making efforts to lead holy lives or doing the roles we have been assigned in our families, in our Churches or places of work, we should always be ready to do our work excellently well, never expecting anything in return. At every point in time, in every circumstance, “we are just unworthy servants; we do what is our duty”.


      


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