Posted by The WORD in other words (2023) by Fr Glenn Paul Gomez SVD – Christ the King Seminary, Quezon City
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time – A
One of the many things that Covid-19 taught us is to go back to the basics – return to the essential things to survive. Here are some trivia: Humans can survive three minutes without breathable air, three days without drinkable water, and three weeks without food.
Those who were infected by Covid and recovered lost their appetite for externals or the non-essential aspects of life. They became simple, humble, and more spiritual.
In today’s Gospel, the scribes and the Pharisees hanker for externals and attention: “They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’”
How many of us remain shallow like the scribes and Pharisees? Persons with no intellectual and spiritual depth will stay insecure throughout their lives.
Thank God, even before the pandemic happened, some worked neither for themselves nor for their families but for the less fortunate and committed themselves to the betterment of humanity. One of them is Charles Francis “Chuck” Feeney, a co-founder of Duty-Free Shoppers Group. Throughout his life, Chuck has given more than $8 billion. In 2020, he closed down his foundation after it accomplished its mission of giving away all of his wealth while living.
This might sound crazy for most of us, but Charles Francis put into action the paradoxes of life in today’s Gospel: “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
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