Mass Readings Audio
https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2020-11-22-usccb-daily-mass-readings
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – November 22, 2020
Welcome to the one hundred and thirty-ninth episode of By Your Life. I’m Lisa Huetteman and I know that you have a hundred different things you could be doing right now, so I thank you for choosing By Your Life.
My goal is to inspire, empower, support, challenge, and encourage you to connect Sunday, with Monday-Friday, in a secular business world. It’s my desire to help you live our Catholic faith in the marketplace. I hope to offer you practical ways to go forth and glorify the Lord by your life.
In this edition, we’ll reflect on the readings for The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. (Cycle A) This Sunday is the last Sunday of the liturgical year and the readings reflect this theme of things coming to an end. More specifically, we hear about the time of the final judgment.
Year-end in the business world is also the time for the corporate version of the final judgment: the performance appraisal. Although the process has changed over the years and from company to company, it typically involves the supervisor doing an evaluation of how well their employees performed vis a vis the plan and the employee completing a self-assessment. Then they sit down and compare notes.
In my experience, the process causes a lot of angst for both the employee and the supervisor, but it shouldn’t. There is real value in performance evaluations when they are part of a continuous process that happens throughout the year. If you get to year-end and you and your employee have a difference of opinion of how he or she is performing against expectations, then you aren’t doing your job. You’re either not setting clear expectations or you’re not working with them to help them meet their goals throughout the year.
But there is a more important message that I think we need to take away from our Gospel this Sunday. Jesus is telling us about our eternal performance appraisal, and he is very clear about his expectations and how we will be evaluated in the final judgment. He said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” (Mt 25:31-34)
This is a pass/fail exam, so you’d better be ready. And how will he determine who passes and who fails? He’s very clear about that too. He said, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” (Mt 25:35-36) And just to be sure we understand the scope of his expectation, he said, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 35:40)
Taking from this Gospel, the Church defines the actions that provide for the physical needs of others as Corporal Works of Mercy. They are feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. (CCC 2447) Most of us expect that the non-profit world and the government are responsible for dealing with the hungry, homeless, naked, sick, and imprisoned in our midst. But that’s not what Jesus is telling us in Sunday’s Gospel. He is clear that we are responsible for caring for the least ones. It is not good enough to abstain from doing something wrong, we will be held accountable for what we did for the least brothers of ours.
But what about the business world? Is there application of these works of mercy in a corporate environment? I think there is. I’d like to share my experience, do a self-assessment for my performance appraisal, and invite you to do the same.
Feed the Hungry
“For I was hungry and you gave me food.” (Mt 25:35) Early in my career, I took a position at the corporate headquarters of a Fortune 500 company. I was eager to contribute and hungry to learn. I was blessed with a wonderful boss who selflessly invested in me giving me the opportunity to take on important projects, but more importantly giving me the support I needed to succeed. He shared his years of knowledge and practical experience to navigate the politics of the headquarters environment. I was hungry and he fed me.
I’ve had many opportunities over my career to pay it forward, but I must admit, I wasn’t always as generous as that boss was with me. I was assigned an intern for a summer and found it a challenge and a distraction to assign interesting and meaningful work and spend the time teaching her what she needed to know to be able to contribute. But there were others for whom I did make it a priority to invest in and it is a source of pride for me to see how they’ve succeeded in their careers. So, on a pass/fail basis, I might give myself a pass on this one. I didn’t always but I learned from my mistakes. How about you?
Give Drink to the Thirsty
“I was thirsty and you gave me drink.” (Mt 25:35) Ok, I may be getting a little petty on this one, but nothing screams “fail” on this factor more than the person who goes into the breakroom, takes the last cup of coffee, puts the empty pot back on the hot burner, and walks away. Who do they think is going to make the coffee? Thankfully, the invention of the Keurig has significantly reduced the incidence of this corporate sin. But are we aware and considerate of the needs of our co-workers in other ways? Because this was one of my pet peeves, I’m fairly sure I never left the pot empty. I’ll give myself a pass on this one. How well have you been aware of others’ needs and offered to help without them asking?
Welcome the Stranger
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Mt 25:35) I was a bank teller in my first job out of high school. Because I just worked during the summers before and during college, I was a vacation replacement teller which meant that I was assigned to a different branch almost every week. It was awkward to be new to the branch. I didn’t know the customers, the other tellers, my way around the office, or where to go for lunch. I was a stranger and some of the branches did a better job than others to welcome me.
As for me, there was one point in my work history where I’d have to give myself a fail for being welcoming to the new person in the office. The details of the situation are complicated, but suffice it to say, that while I may have been pleasant, I was far from welcoming. It was almost 30 years ago, and I remember with clarity this less than proud moment in my career where I’d have to give myself a failing grade. But it was also a learning experience for me, so it wasn’t a total loss.
Last Sunday, I attended the Igbo Mass at my parish. The Igbo are a people from southeastern Nigeria, and we have a large and active population in our parish. After Mass, when my friend who had invited me introduced me to the rest of the worshipers they broke out in song, singing “You are welcome here, you are welcome here, you are welcome here because we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.” If we would all welcome the stranger with the same enthusiasm as the Igbo community, we’d all get a pass. How about you? Do you ignore or welcome the stranger?
Clothe the Naked
“I was naked, and you clothed me.” (Mt 25:36) Obviously, in the workplace, we can’t take this one literally, but we do need to pay a fair wage. We are obligated to provide appropriate safety gear to keep them from physical harm and access to training to do their jobs right. As a leader, we’re duty-bound to set our team members up for success by making sure people have the tools and resources necessary to succeed. And when they make a mistake, you need to have their back, take responsibility to fix things, and not play the blame game. I admit to having mixed results on this one. How about you?
Care for the Ill
“I was ill, and you cared for me.” (Mt 25:36) A few years ago, I was treated for cancer. Anyone who has had chemotherapy knows that it isn’t fun. As much as I wanted to keep going at the same pace as before, it simply wasn’t possible. As a result, I wasn’t contributing my 50% share to our income that my business partner deserved. But she never mentioned it. Instead, she brought my family dinner and paid to have my house cleaned. I was ill and she cared for me. This experience has taught me to be sensitive to the needs of the sick. They are often out of sight and out of mind, so we have to reach out to them. How do you rate yourself for caring for the sick?
“I was in prison and you visited me.” (Mt 25:36) In episode 097 of By Your Life, I shared the story of Nehemiah Manufacturing, a company whose mission is built around giving a second chance to people who have a particularly hard time finding jobs: those with criminal backgrounds. The company had to overcome many obstacles in making it work for the business and its employees. But Nehemiah didn’t give up on their mission just because it was a challenge. Instead, the company became more deliberate about identifying candidates who were likely to be good, reliable employees and developed a more formal system for providing them with support. Nehemiah Manufacturing gets a big PASS on this pass/fail test.
I’m not sure I’d get the same grade. Years ago, I received a large brown envelope with an inmate’s number and correctional facility in the return address. The sender, I’ll call him Dwayne (not his real name), was the friend of someone who had attended one of my workshops and Dwayne was writing me to see if he could hire me to help him with his business plan. A hundred thoughts went through my mind. Should I just toss the envelope and its contents? Should I return it to sender? Should I reply and if so, how? If the sender were any other person except an inmate, I would have known exactly what to do. Because he was, I was at a loss.
My faith taught me to respond one way and my fear led me in the opposite direction. Because I didn’t want to just turn my back on Dwayne, I solicited the advice of a friend who worked for the sheriff’s department and he told me that there are very few resources available for inmates, but he also did a little research and advised me that for my safety I should not get involved. So, I wrote Dwayne a letter giving him my best advice related to his business plan and suggested alternative and free resources that might be able to help him, and I wished him well. I don’t know if I did the right thing or not. What about you? How will you rate when Jesus says, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25:40)?
Clear Expectations and Unambiguous Consequences
We all need to take note. The final judgment, we will all face when the end comes does have significant and eternal consequences for us that will be directly tied to our performance. This will be a pass/fail evaluation and we will either “Inherit the kingdom prepared for [us] from the foundation of the world.” (Mt. 25:34) Or, we’ll be sent “into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Mt 25:41) We’ll either be sheep, or we’ll be goats.
So, at the end of this liturgical year, it is a great time to do that self-appraisal and sit down with the Lord and compare notes. In those areas where you give yourself a “fail” grade, take it to confession and ask for forgiveness for your past failings and for the sacramental grace to do the right thing the next time.
Better yet, don’t just wait until year-end to do an examination of conscience and evaluate yourself vis a vis where you’ve failed the least of your brothers. Make it a monthly habit using the Works of Mercy as your guide. After all, in business and in our spiritual life, a process of continuous evaluation and improvement is what leads to success. So, whether you need help from your boss or the Lord, ask for it. Let’s start right now:
Lord God, you yourself said, “The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back.” (Ezk 34:16) Lead us back to you when we stray. Grant us the grace to be aware of our brothers and sisters in need and give us the courage and strength to care for them. Help us to be a witness of your love by how we love our neighbor. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
And may God bless you abundantly this week and may you glorify the Lord by your life.
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