Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 23,1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,
saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens (hard to carry) and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Messiah.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
It’s essential to work on humility
1) They don’t do what they say. Something we should continually work on is the way we live and behave. We must be good examples for others. You and I sometimes have an itch to appear as “superman” or “superwoman” and show off. to make it obvious to others that we’re great. Even within the Church, sometimes we consider ourselves the “purest.” I have even heard people say, “That retreat is for them so that they convert once and for all.” Conversion is constant, an ongoing process. Something that stands out about early Christians is the humility with which they lived. There’s no need to be showing off who you are or what you’re doing; you have to be you.
2) Your identity. The scribes and the Pharisees had this problem: they did not live according to what they preached. They considered their position and their duties as very important. A few days ago, I remembered a fraternal correction that I was given by a fellow priest: He said to me, “Luis, you always introduce yourself as the bishop’s secretary” and then added: “Stop that, Luis! You are Luis Zazano, Father Luis.” He was right. I had allowed myself to be swallowed up by my position. I had to go back to being me and not live off the position I had been given.
3) Servant. Service is what heals pride and self-importance. It heals the attitude of showing superiority or arrogance. That’s why it’s good to see superiors of congregations wash the dishes or bathrooms to send themselves a message, so they don’t forget that their authority comes through service and not their titles or positions. The higher we are in authority within the Church, the more we should serve others.
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Remember Heaven is our goal!
