Hear my voice

+  RWS 543 April 21, 2013

4^th Sunday of Easter

Gospel: John 10:27-30

27 My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.

Jesus, the paymaster

By Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB, DD

For most workers compensation for work is very important. Those who pay or prepare the salaries then are looked up to by the workers. Generally, the more pay one gets, the greater is his regard for the paymaster.  Some workers, though, would consider their work as never properly compensated by the employer, thus their appreciation for those paying them need not be very dear. How else can a worker expect a much greater compensation for his work and how can he get it? The answer to this question is linked to the faith of the workers in things spiritual and not just those which he can count or touch, taste or acquire.

The worker who believes in Jesus, listens to His words, and above all follows His way of life—can trust in the Lord’s promise of eternal life. The worker needs to learn how to listen to the voice of Jesus in the presence and orders of his superiors in the workplace. He needs to convince himself that complying with the demands of his job to the best of his abilities is also a way of following the voice of Jesus, his Master, even if his earthly bosses may not value this faith perspective in work. He would feel greater satisfaction if he consciously feels that his work and its fruits benefit others. His efforts at maintaining good relationships with co-workers and perhaps his attempts at making them realize also the spiritual component of the daily work, are veritable acts of making God alive in the workplace—thus, making Jesus “felt” or “seen” and His “voice” listened to by others who would be challenged to also follow Him. These are but few instances when the worker can really go beyond the “call of duty”—the legal and financial demands of his job.

Jesus, on His part, assures the worker that He knows every little act of adherence, love and obedience accorded Him. What is most consoling above all is that Jesus never fails in paying back a faithful worker with eternal life and happiness.

MP3

By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

Focus is very important in the workplace.  To be as productive as we can, we need all our senses to be alert to what’s going on around us—the demands of customers, the needs of coworkers, the telephones ringing, instructions from clients, and the voice of the boss.  This is one of the main reasons most workplaces do not allow employees to use portable music devices while at work.  Claims that music helps people concentrate on their work have over and over again been disproven by studies in occupational psychology which reveal that listening to MP3 players on the job actually makes people “tune out” of the workplace.  Whether they know it or not, these listeners’ attention gets divided, rendering them less effective and productive.  Thus, many workplaces ban these devices and require workers to deposit their cell phones with Security, allowing access to them only during lunch breaks.

Let’s listen to three bosses:  Boss #1 who “allows” MP3 for his employees says “You can stick those stupid things in your ears but you’d better hear me when I whisper to you or you’re fired.”  Boss #2 totally bans the MP3 because “It makes them deaf and when you give them instructions they are glassy eyed because their mind is in another world.”  Boss #3 adds, “It can even make a person miss alarms or warning signals, so no way will I allow it.”

Because our employment feeds us and our families, we observe the workplace rules, believing they are for our own good, and keep our ears open to the voice of the boss.  We do the same where it concerns feeding our soul for eternal life—to listen to the voice of the Shepherd we remove all distractions, including worries about work.  But the MP3 is allowed—why not?—IF it would calm us down and dispose ourselves to be open to His Word.