By
Charles Muchiri
Tuesday,
February 21, 2012
Liturgical
Year B, Cycle II
Tuesday
of the Seventh week in Ordinary Time
Readings
for Mass
First
Reading: James 4: 1 – 10
Responsorial
Psalm: Psalms 55: 7-8, 9-10, 10-11, 23
Gospel:
Mark 9: 30-37
Today’s
readings are perfectly geared towards one single aim: Preparing us towards the
Lenten season.
The
First Reading particularly sets one theme; that of humility, which flows down
all the way to the Gospel.
“Humble
yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you,” (James 4: 10)
According
to this Paul’s epistle to James, the opposite of humbleness, through God; is pride,
conflicts, wars, covetousness, adultery, the cause of all the evils that visits
the world.
But
according to St Paul, through the Graces of God, we are able to attain the
state of humbleness, by submitting ourselves to God.
And
in the Gospel, Christ’s response to His disciples’ argument on who amongst them
was greater than the other is simple; "If anyone wishes to be first, he
shall be the last of all and the servant of all." (Mark 9: 35)
Christ
goes further to give his disciples a more practical example. The example of a
child: He compares humbleness to the disposition of a little child.
Now,
the Free Dictionary defines the Humbleness as ‘Marked by meekness or modesty in
behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful’
While
‘Humble’ is an adjective; ‘Humility’ is a noun. The same dictionary defines
Humility as ‘the state or quality of being humble’
The
Church teaches us that Humility is ‘The virtue by which a Christian
acknowledges that God is the author of all good. Humility avoids inordinate
ambition or pride, and provides the foundation for turning to God in prayer (CCC
2559). Voluntary humility can be described as "poverty of spirit" (CCC
2546).
Humility
should certainly be our rallying call this Lenten season; let us seek to humble
ourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time
He may exalt us!
And
as St Vincent de Paul says; let us keep in mind – that the most powerful weapon
to conquer the devil is humility. For, as the devil does not know at all how to
employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it!
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