BEADS OF JOY 02-27-18
“One Master, The Christ”
©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s Gospel:
Matthew 23:1-12
(Denunciation of the Scribes & Pharisees)
“Then said Jesus to the crowds
and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat;
so, practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they
preach, but do not practice. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay
them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their
finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their
phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at
feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market
places, and being called rabbi by men. But you are not to be called rabbi, for
you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no man your father on
earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called masters,
for you have one master, the Christ.
He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will
be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Reflection:
Let’s start with this: St. Augustine
asks, “Who are the proud? Those who do
not perform penance and confess their sins in order to be healed through
humility. Who are the proud? Those who attribute to themselves the few good
qualities they seem to possess and endeavor to diminish the mercy of God. Who
are the proud? Those who, while attributing to God the good they accomplish,
insult others for not performing such works and raise themselves above them."
It is humility that bends our knee and bows our head, before the Lord. It is humility
that makes us willing to serve God without ever having any selfish reason or
motive to do so.
With humility there is no room
for pride. We must do all we can on this journey following Jesus, to be like
Jesus. Philippians 2:5-8 says, “Have this
attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed
in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the
likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Placing
the needs of others before our own is one of the biggest steps we can take towards
living a humbler life.
Have you ever given something that
was yours that you liked, away to someone you know? Or even better, to someone
you don’t know? And upon doing so, you seen them light up, with a smile of gratitude
and thanksgiving towards you; and their joy overflowed into you. Isn’t that
amazing how that happens? How does that make you feel? It is really a very simple
act of just opening our lives to others, giving them our time, our ear to
listen and maybe even a hug. Sometimes we all need to know someone cares beyond
their own space, and when they do, we both feel the love.
Pondering these thoughts today: Humility is the foundation of what we can really be and do as God’s children. Let us not forget Jesus gave his life to save ours. He put us first, at the greatest cost of all. Try every single day to give something to someone else, maybe it’s a moment of your time; maybe it can be a parking space you were both racing to get. Anything! It doesn’t have to be monetary. Sometimes, someone else is having a bad, a depressing day and all they need is a smile and a little kindness directed towards them, we all a make a difference in another person’s life.
LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
Today is Tuesday: We pray the Sorrowful Mysteries:
The Sorrowful Mysteries
1. Agony on the Garden (Sorrow for sin) –Matt 26:36-46
2. Scourging at the Pillar (Purity) –Mark 15:1-16
3. Crowning with Thorns (Moral Courage) –Matt 27:27-31
4. Carrying of the Cross (Patience) –Mark 15:20-22
5. The Crucifixion (Perseverance) –Luke 23:33-46
Thank you Lord for loving us so much…
Rosary Man Jim’s Sorrowful Reflection: http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-sorrowful-mysteries_11.html
MY FIRST
BOOK. More to come…
