When I got to the church this morning to meet up with Alicia
and Lily for mass, I had to park almost two blocks away, so I had a feeling something
special was happening at this mass. Sure
enough, when I entered the church the first 10 rows of pews were reserved for
catechumens and sponsors. I thought “Someone
is overestimating the number of pews they’re going to need.” Then they started processing in with Monsignor
Silva—all 60 catechumens and 60 sponsors!
Praise God!
While the Gospel was being proclaimed, a certain paragraph caught
my attention and prompted my reflection today:
“Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes
and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and
places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext
recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.” Mark 12:38-40
The bottom line is the scribes were frauds. They were consumed with a desire for “places
of honor.” They clearly treated others
poorly: “They devour the houses of widows.”
What’s worse, they presented themselves as people of prayer when they
clearly were not. As a result, Jesus
severely condemned them. It reminded me
of some career politicians on both sides of the aisle, as well as the occasional
“flash in the pan” politicians.
I think we can learn two things from this small passage from
today’s Gospel:
1) The true “place of honor” is the place of the greatest
humility. True honor, in the eyes of
God, is found when we serve without notice and give without recognition. In this way our giving and serving are done
purely out of a motivation of love and not self-serving intentions. The humble person does not seek to be praised
and honored for the love they give. The
act of giving and serving is itself the gift they receive.
2) Prayer is about one thing. It’s about entering into communion with
God. It’s about establishing a
relationship with Him in a deep, beautiful and abiding way. It’s about love. Prayer is not for show or to gain the
admiration of others.
Each one of the candidates at mass today was given a Bible
to read and study during their discernment process until the Easter Vigil. Monsignor Silva told them to “Read the word
of God. Read it out loud. When you read it out loud—even to yourself—it
allows you to listen to His Word, as well!”
Great advice I would give to anyone.
Lord, help me to be a person of true prayer and
worship. Help me to remain humble and
true. Help me to love You out of love of
You alone. Jesus, I trust in You.
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