Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. – James 4:10
MAKEOVER
There
they were, a panel of judges, looking at me from head to toe. “You
desperately need a haircut.” “Your polo makes you look forgettable.”
“Wear contact lenses instead.”
I was at a professional development seminar and going through the
roughest judgment of my life. Outside, I was smiling, but inside, I was
dissenting. Suddenly, the emcee announced, “We’d like to surprise you
with a makeover!”
The next 30 minutes was the biggest (and fastest) transformation of my
life! I fitted new clothes. Then I was given an eight-minute haircut.
Finally, I was taught how to carry myself. Here’s the scary part: I was
never allowed to look at myself so I was initially resisting the
makeover.
But when the doors opened, I stood there with my friends, awestruck. I
walked in with a regained confidence that came from an openness to
change and willingness to trust.
God wants to do a makeover in our lives, too. He has prepared a whole
wardrobe that will make us perfect in His eyes. But many times, we
resist these changes. They seem too radical, too weird, too difficult.
But are you willing to be a child and just surrender to His perfection
and grace? Migs Ramirez
1ST READING
Altruism
is an important part of being a disciple of Jesus. This means that we
learn to be concerned about the needs of others and not just our own.
Our faith is most truly
expressed through our concern for others. Look at the example of Jesus.
He tells us during His ministry in both word and deed, that He came not
to be served but to serve. This must become the basis for our life of
discipleship. Let us seek how we can best serve in the Kingdom of God.
James 4:1-10
1 Beloved:
Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it
not from your passions that make war within your members? 2 You covet
but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight
and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. 3 You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 Adulterers! Do
you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?
Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an
enemy of God. 5 Or
do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says,
“The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy?” 6 But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. 9 Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
P S A L M
Psalm 55:7-8, 9-10, 10-11, 23
R: Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
6 [7] And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest. 7 [8] Far away I would flee; I would lodge in the wilderness. (R) 8 [9] “I would wait for him who saves me from the violent storm and the tempest.” 9 [10] Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels. (R) In the city I see violence and strife; 10 [11] day and night they prowl about upon its walls. (R) 22 [23] Cast your care upon the Lord, and he will support you; never will he permit the just man to be disturbed. (R)
GOSPEL
Jesus
makes it very clear that following Him will not be easy. This is the
second of the “take up your cross and follow Me” passages. There is a
cost involved in following Jesus. For the martyrs, the cost was their
lives. This will probably not happen to us, but in some ways the daily
martyrdom of obedience to God’s Word, if we truly take it up seriously,
is just as difficult.
Mark 9:30-37
30 Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. 31 He
was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be
handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his
death the Son of Man will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. 33 They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. 35 Then he
sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be
first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” 36 Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it he said to them, 37“Whoever
receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever
receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”
REFLECTION
THE GREAT AND THE SERVANT,
THE FIRST AND THE LAST
A
visit to the Obizpado de Cubao is always a pleasant experience for me.
Bishop Honesto Ongtioco would joyfully welcome me and other visiting
priests. He would walk me to my car at the parking area and wave goodbye
until I have left. Dining with him is another story. He puts food on my
plate and serves me whatever I want for drinks. And then he would put
out all the possible “to go” items that I could bring home with me.
And there’s the late Msgr. Ceferino Sanchez, a housemate at the
Cardinal Sin Welcome Home. When my psoriasis was at its worst, he bought
an ointment prescribed to him by a dermatologist. Not only that, he
lovingly applied the ointment to my wounds with his bare hands. Oh, how I
cried at his deathbed. (By the way, I’m now psoriasis-free!)
Jesus says in the Gospel, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be
the last of all and the servant of all.” Pope Francis exemplifies this
call of the Gospel. Following the
footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, he commits himself to the service of
the poor, the least and the last. He washed and kissed the feet of
prisoners, AIDS patients and inmates at a youth rehabilitation center.
He is a servant at heart.
As a parish priest, I was used to being served until I moved to my
present residence, where I get to serve at Mass like a sacristan, help
another priest read the sacramentary, prepare things for the Holy Hour,
visit and cheer up the bedridden housemates. I may not have the heart of
a servant yet, but I enjoy playing the supporting role to other
priests.
Receiving a child in Jesus’ name means serving the little ones, the
voiceless, the powerless. It means seeing Jesus in them and serving Him
in them. It was one great challenge that the Lord gave His Apostles in
their quest for greatness — the same path on which we are invited to
journey. Fr. Erick Y. Santos, OFS
"Lord, pour Your grace upon me as I humble myself to see the new things You want me to experience each day, and
help me to find joy not in greatness but in humble service to others."
help me to find joy not in greatness but in humble service to others."
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