Jesus continued, “When the king entered and looked over the scene, he spotted a man who wasn’t properly dressed. He said to him, ‘Friend, how dare you come in here looking like that!’ The man was speechless”. (Matthew 22: 11 – 12)

People turn down great business opportunities every day out of fear, suspicion, or lack of vision. Instead of seeing possibilities, they see threats and end up losing out. Supervisors, middle managers, and CEOs alike can suffer from this debilitating fear of risk and lack of self-confidence.

What would it take to release these people from their self-inflicted paralysis? A belief that they are unworthy. That sounds strange considering their lack of confidence. But the fact of the matter is that they won’t act until they are humbled to the point of realising that no one is worthy of the varying degrees of fame and fortune or glory and power that come with work.

No matter how hard you work, someone works harder. No matter how smart you are, someone is smarter. So instead of believing you are or should be worthy or deserving of the job entrusted to you, be grateful for the opportunity to work, and do your job well with integrity, compassion, and humility. Like those invited to the king’s feast in this week’s gospel, we make up excuses for why we’re not quite ready or worthy to be part of the festivities. But look around at who’s enjoying the riches of God’s love: the sick, the sorrowful, the sorry, and you’ll know that worthiness doesn’t come into play. Recognise yourself in the least of your brothers and sisters, and you won’t hesitate to enter the banquet hall.