From the Pastor – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
From the Pastor – 31 st Sunday in Ordinary Time
There is no question Jesus had a way with words. The Word of the Lord is filled with what we are very familiar with in our society — sound bites if you will, which convey so much meaning. The last verses of today’s Gospel from St. Matthew contain one of those short statements which carry so much more meaning. Jesus says, “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
In those two sentences are found the key to a stewardship way of life, which revolve around service and humility. There is no question that these are powerful words. They reveal to us all that we need to understand to be a true disciple of Christ. In his letter to the Philippians St. Paul wrote, “Though He was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but EMPTIED HIMSELF, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:5-8).
True humility will be ultimately exalted by God. Our society teaches us to strive to reach the top, but Jesus is reminding us that we need to regard others as more important than we are. We have two choices in life perhaps, to be self-exalters, or to be God-exalted. Is there any doubt as to what we as Christians should pursue?
Pastoral Pondering
With the end of Daylight Savings Time, the reality of the approaching winter normally sets in along with the reality that it’s only 50 days until Christmas! Don’t panic, there is still time. The shorter days, hopefully, afford us an opportunity to become more reflective and recollected. I think this is particularly important as we approach this season of giving. This weekend, Thanksgiving bags are being collected, and the Angel Tree and other charitable projects are underway.
We need to reflect on why we give? In a world where there appears to be so much selfishness and even hatred, why do we bother? I think the answer lies in the question. Because there is so much selfishness and hatred in the world, we need to give because in so doing we show that all is not lost. There is reason for hope. The life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus calls us to look outward rather than inward and realize that whatever we have is a gift from God. We give because it is who we are called to be. You and I are called to be Jesus, especially to those who suffer and lack life’s basic necessities. The giving at Thanksgiving and Christmas (and throughout the year) is an effort to show that in this crazy world, there are still lights in the midst of the darkness. And even though individually we can only dispel a bit of the darkness around us, together we can create a blaze that allows the people who dwell in darkness to see a great light.