The
Lenten-Musings 36
Friday,
February 22
Read:
Luke 7: 1-10
We all have some cause in
our life that is very dear to us. Sadly, most of the cause that is dear to us, are
very selfish in nature. We work and we toil so that our life is made more
secure and our goal is to move up in life. But there are some people who live
for a cause, a cause that is noble, and which has no selfish element in it. The
pure joy of serving, serving without any grudge, serving for a mightier cause
than just for some selfish cause. Meet Albert Lexie. Most of the news agencies
yesterday featured the life of Albert Lexie. Albert is the one who shines shoes
at the Children Hospital in Pittsburg. He has been shoe shining since 1982 and
earns about $5 dollar for shining shoes. What is remarkable about Albert is
that from the day he started working as the shoe shine person in the hospital,
he sets apart the tips that he receives while he does his shoe shine. What is
remarkable about the work that Albert does is that he has to drive about ninety
minutes to reach the hospital and his earning is only about $10, 000 a year.
But he diligently sets apart the tips that he gets, to be donated to a free
care fund that takes care of the treatment of children who come from very poor
families, patients who cannot afford
treatment at the children's hospital. According to hospital sources, Albert has
donated more than $200, 000 till this day, the money that he earned as tips
when doing his shoe shine. In 2006, Alex was honoured for raising $100, 000 for
the a cause known as "Albert's Kids", while earlier in 2001 also he received
an "Outstanding Philanthropists Award.
Alex also was featured on a billboard, by the Foundation for a Better
Life. What is also more noteworthy about this humble man is that he also has a
children book in his name titled " Albert's Kids; The Heroic Work of
Shining Shoes for Sick Children". As I came to know about Albert Lexie, I
feel proud about this man, but at the same time
I hang my head in guilt thinking that many of us who are in a better
position than Albert Lexie, do not even move our little finger to do something
worthy, or for living for a higher cause than just for one's own selfish
existence.
One of the
teaching that Jesus propagated and also appreciated was when life was lived for
a noble cause when, people are ready to rise above selfish confines and desires
of life. In Luke 7: 1-10, we find a very moving incident about a centurion and
the pains that he takes, so that his servant could get well. Who is a
centurion?. Centurions were the back
bone of the Roman army who could be considered as equivalent to modern army
captain. They commanded a standard unit called a Legion, which is a force of
6000 men. Here is a man who has power vested on him and who has a high place in
the society. More than the power that was vested for him, for which he is
respected, what we see is that this centurion
was held by others in high repute. In Lk 7: 5, we find a witness of society
about the centurion. They tell Jesus that he is also a philanthropist who loves
common man and he was generous enough to build synagogues for the Jews there.
In this particular context, we find the heart and mind of Centurion, now being
expressed not for some concrete structure, but for a person who was his servant, who is a
slave, sick and was dying. And it is for this sick person that he seeks the
help of Jesus. Who is person for whom he is bringing recommendation in the presence of Jesus?. It
is for his servant which in Greek translates as "doulos" or a slave.
Slave in the context of the roman empire were considered just another property.
They had no rights and the owner could sell his slave to another. Owners could
be very sadistic while dealing with their servants. But here the centurion sets a very different
example. He has no guilt nor has no issue to humble himself for the cause of
his suffering servant. Moreover he does not ask Jesus to come to his house to
bring healing to the servant on the contrary he communicates his strong faith
to Jesus, by telling him that He only
has to command and his servant will be healed.
The very act of meeting Jesus for the sake of the servant is now
compounded by the strong faith affirmation of the centurion. It is this act of centurion
which makes Jesus to appreciate and announce to the crowd that "I tell you
I have not found such a great faith in Israel" [ Lk 7: 10]. Here is a
centurion who is ready to humble himself not for furthering any selfish cause
of his life, but for the sake of a person who has no rights or privileges nor identify.
In a world where we all are in mad rush to acquire more and in a rush to make
our life more and more better off, in a rush that makes us greedy, people like
Albert Lexie or the centurion in the Bible teaches that, in life it is worth to live for a cause that
is noble or for a cause higher, than
just living for satisfying or furthering selfish desires in life. As we observe
lent, let us ask ourselves whether we all could order our life so that we also embrace
in our life a cause that could be noble, a cause that is unselfish, higher than
our life?. That will make our lent significant and meaningful.
