Reflection for Sunday October 30, 2011

The Humble Will Be Exalted


A Reflection by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD

Franciscans Divine Mercy/ Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus

www.franciscansdivinemercy.org

www.missionstsergius.org





This week’s Gospel reading from Matthew 23:1-12 is a call to be humble and not boast or consider ourselves as better than any other person on the face of the earth, it ends with the following, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted”

When we consider the message of this reading and the words of Christ found in Matthew 9:13, Mark 2:17 and Luke 5:32 “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” and we call to mind that Christ choose to align himself while here on this earth, not with the religious leaders, the powerful and the wealthy of His world and choose to be born in the humblest setting among the poorest of the poor, Jesus chose as disciples those who society considered the marginalized and lowest of the society, and He associated with the “Publicans and Sinners” who the leaders of the Jewish religion looked down upon. Christ’s actions were meant to remind us that God does not ignore anyone and God has a special concern for the needs of the poor, disenfranchised and those that society often ignores and tries to marginalize.

One of the books of the Bible that has much wisdom and is often overlooked is the book of Ecclesiastes and in Chapters 5 and 2 we find words of wisdom which we might want to consider;

“Riches Are Meaningless If you see the poor and oppressed in a district, whose justice and rights are denied, do not be surprised at such things…………….. The king himself profits from the fields.

The king of that period of history is the equivalent of the head of Governments or of the giant conglomerations of our day. “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.” We see this every day of the year all around us, the rich constantly seek to have more and more while the poor are often overlooked and often deprived of some of life’s necessities. “This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. What benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? …I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.”

This next section is especially worth thinking about how we can do as Christ has directed us and share the Gifts God provides us with others rather than hoarding them all to ourselves. “Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God”.

In the past few weeks we have seen millions of people of all ages and ethnicities marching and speaking out against corporate greed, fairness and financial equality for the poor and middle class. They are upset by the exorbitance of profits corporations and the banking industry enjoys and how the one percent of society would rather collect material possessions, wealth and greater power rather than share their good fortune with those less fortunate.

We have heard candidates for the office of president promoting the cutting of programs that help the poor, sick and aged.

Humility and generosity, compassion and repentance, faith and love of God exhibited in our daily lives will bring us more happiness than all the material wealth of the world.

As a people who profess to love God and who have been told how God desires us to act in all things with these words “LOVE THE LORD, YOUR GOD, WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART, MIND, SOUL AND BODY AND LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF”

We are called to be mindful of those less fortunate than us and to reach out to them with generosity and compassion.

We need to follow Christ’s example and align ourselves with those who society would rather overlook and considers as outcasts.

We need to be welcoming and accepting of God’s diversity for none of us is sinless, no one is greater than another, we are all equal in the eyes of God and we must always remember these words from Ecclesiastes 2:26 “To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.”

May God give us the wisdom and the humility we need to live our lives so that they are pleasing to Him and may we store up treasures in Heaven by using our earthly treasures for the benefit of our sisters and brothers in Christ. AMEN

The Awsome Truth

The Awesome Truth


A Reflection for the week of October 24th based on the readings from Sunday October 23rd

By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD Franciscans Divine Mercy/ Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus

www.missionstsergius.org

www.franciscansdivinemercy.org



Sometimes the Readings from Scripture are, in the words of the young, Awesome!.

Think about it, when Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was he replied, “You shall love the Lord, Your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments”.

It would appear on the surface that to follow that commandment would be easy.

Then we look at what we are asked to do. “Love God with all our heart.” All? But the heart is such a small organ and I need to keep room for my family and friends. How can I give ALL my heart?

The answer is easy, when you realize that each of the persons you want room for in your heart are living examples of Almighty God.

They were created in God’s image and likeness and in loving them you are loving God.

Love God with all your soul? Just exactly where is my soul?

Science has never identified it, no X-ray ever shows it, Do I have a soul? Again the answer is easy.

Your soul is the feeling of compassion you extend to those who are less fortunate than you are. Your soul is that feeling deep down when you seek God because deep down, in that unseen recess of your being, there is an empty feeling. Your soul is that unknown attraction that draws you toward others, the feelings of joy, love, sadness, elation all emanates from deep within you.

In the first reading of today (Exodus 12:20-26) we are even given directions on some of the ways we might express our love for God. We are told “You shall not molest or oppress anyone”. Anyone! According to the dictionary the word MOLEST means: “to annoy, interfere with, harm, to assault or attack, to engage in nonconsensual sexual relations.”

In other words, to have respect for the dignity of every one of God’s Children. I wonder if those pedophile priests or the people who killed Matthew Shepherd or those who would deny people the Gay and Lesbian community the same rights as every other person ever read that passage and if they did how they can claim they are believers and followers of Jesus Christ.

There are so many, many ways that we can express our love of God in heart, mind and soul if we only think about it. One good step toward that objective would be to accept ourselves as God created us, to begin to love the gifts we have been given and not always desire to be other than the person God created. We can begin to examine how we can use the gifts God has given us not for our own glory and edification, but for the greater honor and glory of God.

We can start looking for the God in others and not always look for the worst in people.

It is not easy, but, like the old adage says “You cannot have the beauty of the rose without having some thorns in your life”

May Almighty God grant each of us a greater appreciation of ourselves as He created us, and instill in our hearts a more compassionate understanding of all His Children. Amen.