22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word:
True followers of Christ remain faithful, vigilant, persevering and humble servants in building God’s Kingdom.
Theme:
We build God’s Kingdom when we leave our comfort zone and serve the needy and the less fortunate.
Promise:
“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but one who humbles himself will be exalted.”(Lk 14:11)
Reflection:
“Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,and you will find mercy in the sight of God.(Sir 3:18). Before God, there is no room for pride and arrogance, for pride will have its shame and the consequence is one’s downfall. In the Gospel reading of Luke 14:11, Jesus is giving us another lesson to discipline our ways when he says:“…everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”Meekness and humility are marks of true wisdom. Jesus gives emphasis to the basic truth about our relationship with God. As Proverbs 3:34 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
We are to check our thoughts of who we are and consider that there are others more honorable than us in terms of skill and accomplishments. One should not be self-seeking or over-confident, that we alone deserve the admiration and the attention or the choicest position. We should remember and realize that all of us are equally created by God, with the same dignity in soul and spirit. We are ordinary servants of God and mere stewards of His creation. There is nothing that we possess that is ours, except our disobedience and sinfulness. Proverbs 18:12 warns: “Before destruction the heart of a person is proud, but humility comes before honor.”
Sometimes, we become pre-occupied with our own comfort and convenience that we forget that there are many who are not fortunate enough to have even the basic necessities in life. We are called to love others and to develop empathy towards the poor and disabled, to those who are least in society, to those who are last and cannot repay the favors extended to them. Jesus tells us to be non-conventional and go beyond the boundaries of our comfort zones and reach out to people who are suffering and “marginalized by the economic, political and social oppressions,” all without counting the cost or expecting any repayments at all. Yes, we can do this if only we allow our souls to be humbled by God’s goodness in our lives and to imitate His compassion for the poor.
Humility is best described as “thinking rightly of oneself as God thinks of us.” We are unique individuals with talents and gifts given us by God so that we may build His Kingdom on earth, by believing in ourselves and serving our fellowmen. Therefore, we must not underestimate and think little of our own abilities, for it is no humility to bring down one self and say that we are not capable of the responsibility given to us. For even if we are not prepared, the Lord will always equip those whom He calls to bring the Gospel of compassion and mercy to the poor, the needy and less fortunate.Furthermore, every setback, failure or personal weakness we have is a way by which God purifies our hearts. We should not be afraid of failures and we should not be discouraged by our weaknesses, for sometimes God allows these to happen to help us become humble and dependent on Him.
In the Kingdom of God, there is a continuous wedding banquet where position and wealth do not matter. This banquet is for the poor and humble of heart whom the Lord has invited: “My friend, move up to a higher position,” (Lk 14:10). Let us imitate the heart of Jesus and receive all people without discrimination. Let us invite the less privileged and bring them to enjoy a life that is dignified, where they are brought to a place of respect as people who are all equal in the eyes of God. Let us join mission and charity work with pure intention and commitment, not to be noticed and praised of our good works, but because it is our humble service to God. Jesus promises us this reward, “…Blessed will you be…for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Lk 14:14).
Prayer:
Almighty God, by Your grace allow me to humbly serve Your people that they may know and feel that they are important and special. Make me Your instrument to make them realize that they too are Your children deserving of compassion and love. All for Your greater glory. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1.How do I consider myself in relation to others? In what ways can I improve and grow in humility?
2.Share an experience when you felt humbled and blessed after being charitable to a poor person (giving alms, food, shelter, etc.), or comforting a total stranger. How did this affect you?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
August 28, 2016 (Sun) -Sir 3:17-18,20,28-29/Ps 68:4-7,10-11/Heb 12:18-19,22-24/Lk 14:1,7-14
August29, 2016 (Mon)- Jer 1:17-19/Ps 71:1-6,15,17/Mk 6:17-29
August 30, 2016 (Tue)- 1Cor 2:10-16/Ps 145:8-14/Lk 4:31-37
August 31, 2016 (Wed)- 1Cor 3:1-9/Ps 33:12-15,20,21/Lk 4:38-44
September 1, 2016 (Thu) – 1Cor 3:18-23/Ps 24:16/Lk 5:1-11
September 2, 2016 (Fri)- 1Cor 4:1-5/Ps37:3-6,27,28,39,40/Lk 5:33-39
September 3, 2016 (Sat)- 1Cor 4:9-15/Ps 145:17-21/Lk 6:1-5
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
WSC Reflection 28 August 2016 Final
