Today's Gospel: Care-taking vs. Care-giving

Today's Gospel reading highlights the difference between a "hired man" and a true good shepherd (John 10: 11-18). And this much is clear to me: the one who is doing whatever he is doing for a paycheck only is not as invested in the care-giving. This is true in every job that exists; yes, the person who is doing the work for the money will do what is needed, but will he do it with an eye toward stewardship? Probably not. Let's be honest, most, if not all, of us have been in a job where we punched the clock, did the work, and then were just as glad to scoot out when we could. And even in our chosen professions, I think we tend to go through cycles of this feeling of "why bother that much?"-- often, it's because we have been shown repeatedly that we don't matter, or we are disrespected, or we feel a real lack of support. Maybe we are a little resentful of the effort we give when we perceive others not caring as much as we do. Whatever the cause, we slack a little, and we are not at our best. We forget why we are doing what we are doing, except for the money.

This idea of stewardship, of care-taking versus care-giving, is a foundational difference. When we look at the biblical text, what we are to understand is that God will find us, that He is invested in our safety. Not so mere humans; yes, there are times when human beings go well beyond their own personal safety and look out for others-- society calls those people heroes. But often enough, there are those who will not expend the effort, if it takes effort, to help others beyond what is easy or convenient. I'm not talking about secondary help, for example, donating money to causes. True, it is not the same as getting our hands dirty. But that's okay, too-- there are those who can do more and better, and the monetary support goes a long way to helping them do what they do best, and for the most people. For example, I support World Central Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, and a few other charities. I believe strongly that people should be fed, should be treated with dignity, and should have safe places to live. I am not physically able to travel the world and make food for thousands of hungry, displaced, and hurt people. I'm not able to go build houses. But I can fully support those who can and will. 

What I'm puzzled by are those who will not help, when they are able. Or those who enforce their own ideas on others, and then get angry when their "gifts" are not received well (or are that helpful). Look at the food collected by food drives sometime, and you'll see what I mean. There are those who go out and buy extra, just to donate. Then there are those who clear out the expired stuff from their cupboards and say that those who are in great need should be grateful for whatever. That makes me angry and sad. 

There are other examples: I've seen fantastic health care workers, and I've seen lazy, shiftless ones, especially when my dad was in the nursing home. I've seen good babysitters and those who are on their phones, letting the children run amok. I've seen good team-mates and I've seen those who are grand-standing, who won't help a struggling newcomer. And the list could go on, as I'm sure you can figure out. You likely have your own list.

The question is not easy. Sometimes, we chuck the frozen pizza in the oven, and sometimes we cook a hearty, healthy meal (metaphorically and literally--and it's not always a bad thing). I think that how we approach our opportunities to care says a lot about how we feel about ourselves, at that moment and in the larger sense. If we look hard enough, what we do is who we are. That's a lot to ask, but it's worth the introspection. We can't always be on our game, but maybe taking a minute to inspect what we expect of ourselves is what the Gospel is asking us to do.

Have a good Sunday,

C