Since the Oscars and other household activities pre-empted my usual Sunday evening television viewing habits recently, I saw part of CBS’s “Undercover Boss” for the first time.

For those who have never watched the new entry into the “reality” television series genre, here’s the plot. The CEO of a large company goes “undercover” in his own company working beside those people on the front lines of his business. During the episode I saw, the usually clean-shaven, suit-wearing Joseph DePinto, president and CEO of 7-Eleven grew a 5 o’clock shadow and put on a pair of jeans to work in several areas of his operation.

With camera crews in tow, Mr. DePinto and the production team explain they are making a documentary on entry level jobs. The final cut makes slightly entertaining viewing and profiles some great personalities within the organization.

In the 7-Eleven episode, viewers see Mr. DePinto barely keep up with the morning rush as he tries to keep  the coffee fresh and counter stocked and organized at one of the busiest stores in the chain. Not only does he mix up flavors of coffee, but he also overflows a carafe, leading to waste on both accounts.

More sobering are the stores he visits that aren’t properly maintained and employees he meets that make many sacrifices to do their jobs. The show concludes with the boss revealing his identity to the employees he worked with and offering them something in return for what they do for the company.

For example, Mr. DePinto learned that one employee has only one kidney and is on dialysis, but won’t accept a transplant from one of her children. For her positive attitude and dedication to her job, Mr. DePinto is creating a chainwide program that promotes organ-donation awareness. Another worker was offered a freelance art opportunity with the marketing department and to a third, he offered an all-expenses paid vacation.

While these were indeed nice gestures, the ending seemed a bit shallow, and I still wonder how many of the changes promised will come to fruition.

As I thought more about the show in the following days, I held on to my original impression: it’s a great concept, but I wonder how the effects of the experience will linger with the participants.

I also thought about how I might act in a similar situation. What if the bishop was to go undercover, and it was up to me to teach him the ropes of being an editor or reporter for his newspaper. Or, what if the bishop were to go undercover and pose as a volunteer for a program at one of our churches. Would we be proud of how we acted when he revealed his true identity?

What if it was the pope undercover in our midst? What about Jesus?

But isn’t Jesus always in our midst? Unfortunately, We don’t always act like we remember He’s in our midst, undercover or not.

As we enter Holy Week, let us remember why He died for us and do our best to live a life that would make Him proud.