31th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I – Malachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10 (151A)
Reading II - 1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13
Listen to this week's readings courtesy of the USCCB.
Be Humble
Probably the very best advice my Dad ever gave me was, “Be humble.” The readings at Eucharist this week all seem to agree on this point, especially for those in positions of authority. Genuine humility is a tricky thing. It is about putting others first, but to truly understand what it means, we need to know that it comes from the same place as the Eucharist. We know this because Saint John’s Gospel has Jesus washing feet at the Last Supper. For Jesus and for us, the Last Supper (and the Eucharist that memorializes it) is about being thankful. Jesus, about to face the most horrendous death, and almost as bad the betrayal of his closest followers, this same Jesus sits at the Last Supper, his heart filled with gratitude for all that has happened, for the gift of these little-faith Apostles. The second reading is clear on this: humility, a virtue for us to cultivate, is the ability to be truly grateful for all that we have been given. It is the desire to work gladly and in thanksgiving with our last ounce of strength for the good of those around us. The Gospel confirms this. If we are leaders of groups, we don’t need to widen our phylacteries, we need to work even harder to be sure that we are listening and taking to heart what is right, for we are responsible for not leading people astray. That is why the psalmist reminds us that our heart should not be proud. Be humble.
By Glenn CJ Byer, MA SLD © 2011, OCP. All rights reserved.
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