“Well done, good and faithful servant.” Reflection for the Fifth Week of Lent

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.” Matthew 25:21

God gifts each one of us with a unique combination of time, talent and treasure to use while we are on Earth for the good of all people. C.S. Lewis explains it in this way, “Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from movement to movement, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service, you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already.”

In this season of reflection, we come face to face with a basic truth: we are neither in control of nor are we responsible for some of our dearest gifts. Our health. Our loved ones. Our security. Modern culture might tell us we earned, deserve, own or are entitled to any given thing. However, in reality, we are stewards and all we have is pure gift from a loving God.

As we make manifest God’s healing activity in the world, we participate in stewarding a mission that began long before us and will outlast us all. Still, the contributions we make in this moment matter. Our decisions and behaviors to share the gifts God has so freely given the Catholic health ministry make the difference between sickness and health, welcome and exclusion, gainful employment and hourly labor, a vocation and a job, a flourishing Earth and an exploited one for our patients, their families, our associates, our planet and the communities in which we serve.

Material things and human capacities are resources for the benefit of the community and not solely personal or organizational possessions. What we do with the time, talent and treasure in our midst should witness to the goodness of God rather than our own cleverness, savvy or intellect. Then we can hope to hear. “Well done, good and faithful servant. … Come, share in the joy of your master.” Matthew 25:21

For Reflection

Ghanaian writer and teacher Ernest Yeboah wrote: “We are not born the same, we are all not born with the same abilities and capabilities, but no matter what seed God has given to us, be it small or big, He expects a good return from us in the end and we must endeavor to be good stewards and managers of our abilities and capabilities regardless of where we live and the challenges we face!”

• Am I / are we trustworthy stewards of the Catholic identity of our ministry?
• Do I / we actively seek to reduce our carbon footprint?
• Do I / we promote the well-being, advancement and full flourishing of our team and those people for whom we are responsible?
• Do I / we care for the resources used at work as if they were our own?
• Do I / we care for ourselves with the same care offered to others?

Prayer

Let us pray together,

Giver of all good gifts, we thank you for all that you have given us; for the good work to do, for the means and talents with which we do it, and for the earth, which provides for all of our needs. We ask that you make us into good stewards of time, talent and treasure – our own and that of others – to build your kingdom. In this season of reflection and prayer, give us the graces we need to more fully follow you and become who we claim to be in your name. Amen.

(c) Catholic Health Association USA. Lenten reflections are republished with permission.