SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2023
SATURDAY OF THE THIRTIETH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME A
ST CHARLES BORROMEO, Bishop (MEMORIAL)
Romans 11:1-2,11-12,25-29
Luke 14:1,7-11
TREADING THE PATH OF HUMILITY AND CONSCIOUS LIVING
The Christian faith teaches the life of Jesus. And the most important lesson we learn from Jesus is his life of humility. It was Saint Paul who captures this life well in his letter to the Philippians 2:6-11. He tell us that Jesus was God and with God, with same supremacy and power but when coming into the world, Jesus humbled himself and took the form of a mere human being and still humbled himself to assume the condition of a slave. And went to the extent of dying a shameful death on the cross. And for this reason God exalted him and gave him the name that is over and above every other name.
With this background, there is a path already marked out for any Christian to follow and live in. It is the path of humility. This is the hallmark of the Christian life and belief.
Jesus’ teaching today in the gospel is an emphasis of this requirement for a faithful life as a Christian. Meaning that Christians must be humble people who are ready to serve others and never to impose their wills and selves on others.
In our era and time, we observe the ego worship and self importance tendencies in human beings. We tend to exaggerate our importance and nature. We take unfounded titles which boast our ego and put shields of superiority over us against others. Sometimes, we worship ourselves and expect people to worship us as well. But the irony of it all is that we stand on the pinnacle of material things, money, wealth and sometimes power to project ourselves over and against every other person and even God himself.
Such has earned us debasement at times and have revealed and emptied out blown ego and selves.
Jesus calls us back to the point of our nature and what he expects of us. Jesus expects humble living, unassuming nature even when you have such powers, wealth and prestige which must be understood as call to service. Again, we must consciously caution ourselves against the prevailing tendencies in us to assume whom we are not in essence. For pride and arrogance kills and debases us while humility gives life and sustains life.
Saint Paul is happy with the people of Israel on one hand but again, sad on other hand. In our first reading, Paul narrates how the Jews enjoy the privilege of being the source of human salvation. But he cautions them to open their eyes and see how they have been blessed and never reject the honour done them by God in raising one of their stock as savior of the world. For Saint Paul, it is a privilege and of course must be appreciated, accepted and lived out. So, their blindness in rejecting the savior is a source of worry and sadness.
In the same vein, our Christian faith which we received on a platter of gold, must never be jeopardized but appreciated and lived out. We must never be blinded by the passing world as to jettison our faith.
Humble living with conscious effort will make our Christian life a success and prepare a heavenly way for us. Let us tread this path of humility and consciously live as Jesus leads us.
God our Father, your life testifies to the life of humility you called us. May we never fall into the temptation of living careless, arrogant or selfishly proud lives. By your grace, help us to control the human pride in us. May we be enabled to see power, wealth and honour never as pinnacles of pride but as call to serve humanity in all humility and so endeavor to give serve at all times. Bless us today and always through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
