The Trinity, attrib. Rubens c.1610, Staatsgalerie Neuburg an der Donau, Neuburg, Germany.

Click here to read today’s Sunday Mass Readings.

[Jesus said] “..The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”     Matthew 23:11-12.

Click on words highlighted in red for further information.

That quote from today’s gospel immediately brought back a memory from years ago. I don’t even remember if it is true or made up. It was (supposedly) a story reported concerning a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. He stated that he had had a vision or a dream where he was present at the Lord’s Passion. He witnessed the Lord falling under the weight of the cross. He went forward and helped Jesus back to his feet, at which Jesus looked at him in gratitude and said “Thank you Your Eminence”. At least I hope it was apocryphal! But looking at today’s gospel, you will understand what triggered this ancient memory. If you parade around your holiness as better than thou, God is distinctly not impressed; indeed, God will humble such people, something they would certainly not wish! And while we are on the topic of cardinals, I will give you this thought:

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke wearing his cappa magna.

Now the idea of this garment is the opposite of what you might suppose – click on the link and read the article! But it does have the potential at least of confusing the faithful, something holy mother church really does not like.

So what is this all about? It is this, I believe. When we stand, or more appropriately, kneel before God, we should consider what is happening. We are before the God of everything and everyone. All was created by God; indeed the entire universe – or even universes in much contemporary astronomical talk – is from God’s hands. And, being God, we can be assured that whatever we think or say to the Almighty, it commands God’s complete attention! If we think God isn’t interested in us, think again. We were loved into this world by the Almighty; of course God takes an interest in our thoughts, words and deeds. The more skilled we are in responding to God’s will, the happier God is, and, as a result, the happier we will be. We will be developing the talents God has given us, using them in the ways God wishes by helping others, all driven by our own deep love and respect for God. The focus is clearly not on ourselves (which is the message of today’s gospel), but on The Other – God and our neighbor. In this way, in the words of today’s first reading, we will give glory to God’s name, not ours. In doing that, it is almost as if we become angels, praising God and singing in joy! And who has ever heard of a sad angel? After all, if we concentrate only on ourselves,  there will be a limit to our strengths, and then weakness will appear, which will be difficult, if not impossible, to accept. If we reflect God’s strengths, there will be no limits – at all! That was the strength of the martyrs and saints from every conceivable background and level in society. Therefore that same strength is available to all of us, as we are God’s own children. What stronger foundation could we possibly ask for? Amen. Alleluia!

Saint John on Pathmos, Limburg brothers Musée Condé, Chantilly, France.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS REFLECTION TO THOSE YOU THINK WOULD APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU.

Reflections on next Sunday’s Mass Readings will be posted on Wednesday.

Please send your reflections to: RogerJohn@aol.com

© SundayMassReadings.com