A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
These words from today’s Gospel follow Jesus’ denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees. Although not rejecting them altogether as he says do and observe what they tell you, he tells the people not to follow their example because they don’t practice what they preach. They burden people yet do nothing to ease their burden. They perform works to be seen, and they love places of honor at banquets, in synagogues, in marketplaces, and the salutation “Rabbi.” Of this, Jesus says, “Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ.” What places of honor do I go routinely seeking, even among family members, and how can I find ways to humble myself instead?
God, you guide us through the words and actions of your Son away from the pursuit of honor and pride. Rather than giving you glory, seeking honor and upholding pride result in a sustained delusion of one’s worth and the mistreatment of others. “You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers,” Jesus says. Open my eyes, Lord, to the dignity of my brother and sister, however I encounter them today, and let me be their servant in accomplishing your will. “He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me,” today’s Psalm says, “and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.” Let me praise you alone, God, for your glory.
Lord, in the commotion of this day, give me the grace to remember that you are my one Father in heaven. Stay with me; show me the way to accomplish the work of the day as I do your will and put mine aside.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.