22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word: Life in Christ assures us of our heavenly inheritance.
Theme: Life in Christ assures us of our heavenly inheritance when we stay meek and humble of heart in all our ways.
Promise: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Lk 14:11)
Reflection
Humility is greatness!
The liturgical readings of the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time narrates to us how we can practice humility. As disciples and followers of Christ, the virtue of humility should be evident in the daily conduct of our life.
In the Book of Sirach, it is written, “Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God,” (Sir 3:18). And in the Gospel, the most striking is the promise of Jesus, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted,” (Lk 14:11).
What is humility? In one of his homilies, Pope Francis declares “Humility is the only way that leads us to God.” From birth to death, Jesus, the Son of God, witnessed to mankind His greatness through a life of humility. In the course of His teachings and ministry work, he dined with the sinners, gave sight to the blind, let the lame walk, healed the sick, and accompanied the depressed and the confused. God who is love shows great humility through His compassion to the weak and the poor. The humility of God is manifested through Jesus, our Brother, who assumed our human condition but did not despise us; instead suffered to save us.
In the light of these examples, let us reflect how we are as His disciples. How do we prevent pride from ruling our life and how can we practice genuine humility in our day to day life? The Gospel offers us a lesson on humility. Humility is the essence of how a disciple of Jesus is all about – being humble in our thoughts, actions, words, and in our deeds. Humility is when you deal and relate with people without distinction, giving them respect and recognizing their dignity. Humility is a virtue that comes from the heart.
This is also a timely reminder that the higher our position or status in life is, the humbler we should be. Everything given to us is meant for the service of others, so we have to reach out to people and acknowledge that each one of us are equal in the eyes of God. A more satisfying reward awaits us in the resurrection when we are generous to those who cannot repay us, as it is God who is going to bless us.
We are reminded to ask, are leaders or shepherds supposed to consider themselves special or important persons? In the course of service do we need to be applauded and recognized? Are we to choose a position or assignment? Should we easily turn down an assignment offered to us? Where is our God in the middle of all these actions and decisions? Direction in life should be rooted from the Lord and His laws and inspired by our love for Him and others. As the song goes… ‘More of You, less of me.’ God always favors the humble. Humility does not deny one’s talents and capacities, but exercising them should free us from pride and arrogance. It is having our feet firmly grounded on the truth. We know our limitations thus we don’t look down on others.
In 1 Peter 5:6 counsels us: “Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand, so that He will lift you up in His own good times.”
Prayer:
Gracious and giving God, we thank you for your Son Jesus who humbled Himself and came to us as a servant. May our words and deeds show You are present in our lives, that You matter most to us, that Your values guide our choices, that without You, we are nothing. Thank you for the lessons of humility that have guided us in community. Thank you for making us realize that pride won’t bring us closer to the Father and won’t lead us to good relationships with others. This we pray in Jesus’ name, as we ask the loving intercession of our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph. Amen.
Reflection Guide Questions:
- How are we before God? Do we acknowledge God’s direction to rule over our life?
- How are we as His lay under-shepherds and witnesses? Are we able to bring people in a closer relationship with the Lord?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
August 28, 2022 (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
August 29, 2022 (Mon) – 1Cor 2:1-5/ Ps 119:97-102/Mk 6:17-29
August 30, 2022 (Tue) – 1Cor 2:10-16/ Ps 145:8-14/ Lk 4:31-37
August 31, 2022 (Wed) – 1Cor 3:1-9/ Ps 33:12-15, 20, 21/ Lk 4:38-44
September 1, 2022 (Thu) – 1Cor 3:18-23/ Ps 24:16/ Lk 5:1-11
September 2, 2022 (Fri) – 1Cor 4:1-5/ Ps 37:3-6, 27, 28, 39, 40/ Lk 5:33-39
September 3, 2022 (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!”
