25th Sunday In Ordinary Time
20 September 2009
First reading Wisdom 2:12,17-20
The godless say to themselves:
‘Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us
and opposes our way of life,
reproaches us for our breaches of the law
and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.
‘Let us see if what he says is true,
let us observe what kind of end he himself will have.
If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part
and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies.
Let us test him with cruelty and with torture,
and thus explore this gentleness of his
and put his endurance to the proof.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death
since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.’
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 53:3-6,8
Second reading James 3:16-4:3Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and wicked things of every kind being done; whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it. Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness.
Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Isn’t it precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you haven’t got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. Why you don’t have what you want is because you don’t pray for it; when you do pray and don’t get it, it is because you have not prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge your own desires.
Gospel Mark 9:30-37
After leaving the mountain Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.
They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’
Reflection
By Fidji Rivera - Sarmiento
Today, let me share with you the Litany of Humility that my Lola shared with me way back my grade school days.
O Jesus meek and humble of heart, hear me
From the desire of being esteemed.........Deliver Me Jesus
From the desire of being loved.............Deliver me Jesus
From the desire of being extolled ..........Deliver me Jesus
From the desire of being honored..............Deliver me Jesus
From the desire of being praised......... Deliver me Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred.........Deliver me Jesus
From the desire of being consulted...........Deliver me Jesus
From the desire of being approved.............Deliver me Jesus
From the fear of being humiliated.........Deliver me Jesus
From the fear of being despised............Deliver me Jesus
From the fear of suffering rebukes..............Deliver me Jesus
From the fear of being calumniated...........Deliver me Jesus
From the fear of being forgotten................ Deliver me Jesus
From the fear of being ridiculed..............Deliver me Jesus
From the fear of being wronged............Deliver me Jesus
From the fear of being suspected...........Deliver me Jesus
That others may be loved more than I..........Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it
That others may be esteemed more than I ................Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it
That in the opinion of the world others may increase and I may decrease..............Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it
That others may be chosen and I set aside............Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it
That others may be praised and I unnoticed............Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may became as holy as I should.............Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. Amen and amen.
(His Eminence Cardinal Merry del Val was accustomed to recite daily after he celebrated the Holy Mass; Imprimatur James A McNulty Bishop of Paterson NJ)
Now, true humility is a value easier said than done. That is basically why we pray for it. It is but with the grace of God together with our willful effort that we are able to practice humility in our lives. Being humble is not about unrecognizing your talents, but about knowing what your abilities are and using them to serve others. It is not about being shabby with your appearance, but rather caring for yourself as your humble response to God's temple - your body. It is not about choosing to be stagnant at any position you are in, or merely deciding to stay in the background. It is more of knowing when to voice out your heart in a way that you can glorify the Lord with your actions.
We all know how children are - their simplicity, curiosity, and honesty. That is how Jesus would want us to be in order for us to gain eternal life. We have to realize that no matter how intelligent humans have become, Jesus seeks that we remain in awe of God's goodness. We don't want to wait for that time when all good things come to end, and we are at a loss for never appreciating how God has been working in our lives.
Krabby Patty
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