Biyernes, Oktubre 28, 2011

REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL FOR THE 31ST SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (MT. 23:1-12)

"Practice what you preach", these are the words from St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. Many had said those same words in the past yet we cannot see it in them, they do not practice what they preach. This is the reason why Jesus condemned the acts of the scribes and pharisees during His time. The scribes and pharisees are the interpreters of the Law of Moses, they give directions on what the Jewish people should do, but some of them deceives the brethren by uttering the wrong interpretation of the Law so that they could corrupt the peoples' mind.

In our Gospel for the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Jesus wants us to be truthful and humble. In the Gospel, Jesus tells how the scribes and pharisees act during His time. Some of them wants to be called Teacher, Master or Father, they want to be exalted by everyone. I had to admit, I was like that, I want myself to be raised or exalted over my brethren. But the Lord, through His Holy Spirit inspired me not to act like that or exalt myself. Jesus was not like that, Jesus humbled Himself for us, He stripped off His nature as God so that he could live with us and become a servant for us (Phil. 2:6-7). Let's us ourselves, am I ready to be a servant for my brethren? Am I ready to humble myself for the sake of my brothers and sisters? Jesus did, He bore our sufferings, He offered His life for us to be saved from death and sin, the very reason why He became human, He did it for us. He taught us to carry our own crosses, but as we all know he carried His cross first, He endured mockery, humiliation and exhaustion. He humbled Himself until His death on the cross. He is a Teacher who practices what He taught, He is a Master who commands us to do something but we first saw Him perform that command. What a marvelous God we have!

Lastly, let's not exalt ourselves by showing off what we have (i.e. luxury, social status, etc.). Let us remain humble because the Lord Jesus who is in the very peak of a status in the Universe has humbled and has remained humble for us. God will exalt us, exalt us that exceeds our expectations, exalt us in the line of the Saints who is now with Him. May God Bless us all.

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