Posted by The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Rudy Horst SVD -Christ the King Seminary, Quezon City
Monday 26th Week in Ordinary Time
What irritates me a lot is when I explain something thoroughly in class and after a few minutes a hand goes up and a student asks, “Father, why…?” Sometimes I answer sarcastically, “Good morning, my friend. Did you sleep well?”
Jesus had more patience with his sometimes dumb disciples. If they had paid more attention to Jesus’ teaching, they would have known by now that the Good News about the Kingdom of God and about how to enter it was not about striving for prestige and getting to be in places of honor, but about humility and service. But let’s not criticize those rural folk fishermen who were a bit slow.
We hear Jesus’ teaching about humility and service every time we attend a Mass or open the New Testament. And yet, pride still lurks at every corner of our lives. How often do I think I am smarter, even holier, than my neighbor, or better than my employees – if I’m the boss? How easily do we judge even without knowing the person’s motive! How difficult it is to give someone the benefit of the doubt andwait until we can see the results of an action. Oh yes, humility and service are so difficult to practice in spite of Jesus’ teaching and often shocking example.
Pope Francis grabbed the headlines when he humbly said, “Who am I to judge?” Everytime he embraces deformed and sick people he becomes newsworthy. He has done away with a lot of royal pomp, lives in a simple room, joins Vatican employees for breakfast, and even lines up for it with a tray on hand. If a Pope can do it – why can’t I?
