Fr Ed Homily 8-25-20

Your Annual Evaluation

Maybe your employer gives you an annual evaluation of how well you are performing. Maybe it’s every six months. Maybe it’s every time the boss asks you to come to his office. Or you feel that way. Jesus is giving an evaluation to the scribes and Pharisees. And He is very critical. Evaluations tend to follow the same pattern. First, tell the employee something good, or give him or her credit for something he or she has done. Second, tell the employee now what he or she needs to do better, or in secular terms, give him/her constructive criticism. That term, constructive criticism, has always bothered me. If you’re the boss, why would you wait for the evaluation to tell your employee that he or she is not performing or that he or she is doing something wrong? That doesn’t make sense to me. Wouldn’t it be better to talk to your employee immediately?

And instead of just cleaning the outside of the cup, wouldn’t it be better to ask why the employee is doing the operation the way he or she is? More times than not, it’s just a matter of understanding. My thought is that no one really intends to do anything wrong. I think everyone wants to do a good job and get appreciation for a job well done. I would suggest to employers and managers if you have an employee who is not doing something properly, then you need to look at yourself and ask, “How can I help this person?” “What does this employee need to do his job properly?” That is what Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees. Look inside your heart, inside the cup, and clean that first. Then you’ll be ready to help others.

May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen