Son of Man came not to be served but to serve

Australian Catholic University – Signadou Campus

Yesterday’s reflection asked Catholics in Australia if “we practised what we preached (or believed in).”

Today’s reflection asks if we (Catholics in Australia) “live to be served, or do we serve?”

Jesus does not mince his words when he says.

‘You know that among the pagans, the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

Matt 20: 17 – 28

We read that the Australian Catholic University (ACU) cut 110 jobs, despite recording an operating surplus over the past six years of more than $224 million.

We also read that the Vice Chancellor of ACU earns approximately $1 million annually (data for 2019-2021).

SEE

• Investigate what makes the Australian Catholic University Catholic.

• Is it Catholic because ‘Catholic’ is in its name?

• Is it Catholic because the organisation’s people (all staffs) embody Catholic Social Teachings? or

• Is it Catholic because of something else?

Explore how Cardinal Cardijn or Pope Francis would evaluate this organisation.

JUDGE

Refer to today’s and yesterday’s Gospels.

Does the ACU practice what they preach?

Do the senior leadership of the ACU serve others (especially the vulnerable among their employees in this case), or are they interested in being served (lord over it) and pursuing profits only?

ACT

What can we do today to support the employees of the ACU whose jobs have been terminated?

What can we do today to make our Catholic organisations serve the most vulnerable among their employees by adhering better to Catholic Social Teachings?

Author: Greg Lopez

Image Source: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported