20190302
HUMILITY
IN GREATNESS
02 MARCH, 2019,
Saturday, 7th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Ecclesiasticus 17:1-13 ©
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Their ways cannot be hidden from his
sight
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The Lord fashioned man from the earth,
to consign him back to it.
He gave them so many days’ determined
time,
he gave them authority over
everything on earth.
He clothed them with strength like his
own,
and made them in his own
image.
He filled all living things with dread of
man,
making him master over beasts
and birds.
He shaped for them a mouth and tongue,
eyes and ears,
and gave them a heart to think
with.
He filled them with knowledge and
understanding,
and revealed to them good and
evil.
He put his own light in their hearts
to show them the magnificence
of his works.
They will praise his holy name,
as they tell of his
magnificent works.
He set knowledge before them,
he endowed them with the law
of life.
Their eyes saw his glorious majesty,
and their ears heard the glory
of his voice.
He said to them, ‘Beware of all
wrong-doing’;
he gave each a commandment
concerning his neighbour.
Their ways are always under his eye,
they cannot be hidden from his
sight.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 102(103):13-18 ©
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The love of the Lord is
everlasting upon those who hold him in fear.
As a father has compassion on his sons,
the Lord has pity on those who
fear him;
for he knows of what we are made,
he remembers that we are dust.
The love of the Lord is
everlasting upon those who hold him in fear.
As for man, his days are like grass;
he flowers like the flower of
the field;
the wind blows and he is gone
and his place never sees him
again.
The love of the Lord is
everlasting upon those who hold him in fear.
But the love of the Lord is everlasting
upon those who hold him in
fear;
his justice reaches out to children’s
children
when they keep his covenant in
truth.
The love of the Lord is
everlasting upon those who hold him in fear.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Mt11:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 10:13-16 ©
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It is to such as these little children
that the kingdom of God belongs
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People were bringing little children to
Jesus, for him to touch them. The disciples turned them away, but when Jesus
saw this he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to
me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God
belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God
like a little child will never enter it.’ Then he put his arms round them, laid
his hands on them and gave them his blessing.
HUMILITY IN
GREATNESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [SiR 17:1-15; Ps 103:13-18; Mk 10:13-16 ]
In the first reading,
the book of Sirach gives a concise summary of the theme of creation found in
the first chapters of the Book of Genesis. Man is fashioned from the earth.
This is what Adam means, of the earth. Yet, in spite of his
fragility and weaknesses, God gave men “authority over everything on earth. He
filled all the living things with dread of man, making him master over beasts
and birds.” He is called to be the master and steward of God’s
creation. This is possible simply because “He clothed them with strength
like his own, and made them in his own image.” To be created in His image
means that man is given intellect to think and discern what is right or wrong.
It also means that he is called to share in God’s nature, which is love.
Indeed, “He shaped for them a mouth and tongue, eyes and ears, and gave them a
heart to think with. He filled them with knowledge and understanding, and
revealed to them good and evil.”
As if this was not
enough, God showed forth His love and power in a dramatic way in His works of
wonder, and by calling them to a covenantal relationship with Him. “He put his own light in their
hearts to show them the magnificence of his works. They will praise his holy
name, as they tell of his magnificent works.” With the Covenant,
God gave man a set of laws to guide them to live their life in accordance with
His divine plan. “He set knowledge before them; he endowed them with the law of
life. He established an eternal covenant with them, and revealed his judgements
to them. Their eyes saw his glorious majesty, and their ears heard the glory of
his voice. He said to them, ‘Beware all wrong-doing’; he gave each a
commandment concerning his neighbour. Their ways are always under his eye, they
cannot be hidden from his sight.”
Such is the goodness of
God to humanity. Man truly is the summit of God’s creation. There is no creature that has been
bestowed with so much love, dignity, gifts and the corresponding responsibility.
That is why the psalmist says, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your
fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are
human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for
them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them
with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your
hands, you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and
also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.”
Indeed, when we ponder
on man’s greatness, we cannot but remain humble before God and the rest of
humanity. Indeed,
without God’s blessings and favours, we are just like the rest of His other
creatures. This is why in the gospel, Jesus asked us to be like children
if we want to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus was indignant with the
disciples for restraining the children from coming to Him. He said, “Let
the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these
that the kingdom of God belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not
welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
What does it mean to
welcome the Kingdom of God like a little child? It means the call to be childlike.
Being childlike is to remain humble before God like little children who are
full of wonder at creation. They are curious and open to new adventures.
Being weak and vulnerable and dependent, they believe that their parents will
look after them and provide them all their needs. They are totally
dependent on them. They are helpless and cannot look after
themselves. They trust in them radically. Children are trusting
especially of their parents and listen to them when they are told to do
something. They have confidence that their parents will not ask them to
do things that are wrong or detrimental to their well-being. Their
parents always desire for their good and so even if they do not understand why
their parents ask them to behave in a certain way, they obey.
Children are
innocent. They
speak the truth because they are not manipulative. It does not occur to
them that they must lie or cheat because they know that they are loved
unconditionally and protected by their parents. Children are also
forgiving because they are not egoistic. When scolded and punished, they
quickly forget and do not allow their pride to hold resentment against their
loved ones. Even when they quarrel or have misunderstandings with their
friends, they make up easily. They are affectionate and expressive.
They would hug you once they know you. They love to play and laugh.
They are full of excitement and joy.
However, being
child-like is different from being childish. Who are those who are childish? They are
those who make themselves out to be the center of the world, and everyone is
called to serve them. Childish people are those who demand
attention. They think that they are the greatest of them all. They
despise those who do not make their grade. They are cynical, arrogant and
judgmental. Childish people are always full of complaints and always want
things their way. They are also self-centered.
Indeed, the greatest
tragedy of the modern man is that he is not aware of the privileges that God
has given him. In
this world of science and technology, man has become so proud of himself.
He thinks that his ability to invent new things, to discover the secrets of
nature and to build all kinds of things is due to his ingenuity alone. In his
success, he thinks too highly of himself. He takes pride in his
achievements; boast of them as if they were merely his hard work and
intelligence. Hence, he tends to despise those who do not do so well in
life. He believes only in himself. He does not need God because he
has supplanted the place of God. He feels that he can conquer the
whole world.
How sad it is when
success and achievements get to the head of such proud and arrogant people! They think they are so
extraordinary and deserve honour and recognition wherever they go. They
want to be served and be treated special. They forget that their success
is not due to their hard work alone. Without the support of their
relatives, friends and colleagues, they would not have arrived where there are
today. Alas, such people fail to realize that what they are and who they
are come ultimately from God alone. We must not deceive ourselves into
thinking that power, glory, wealth and health are always ours. They can
be taken away in an instant. We must never forget where we came from.
Indeed, even though God
created man to be great, he remains just a man. There is a time for him to depart
when his work is done. It is not up to us to dictate how long we live.
The time given on earth is for us to realize our potentials by living out our
vocation according to the gifts He has blessed us with. Sirach
wrote, “The Lord fashioned man from the earth, to consign him back to it. He
gave them so many days’ determined time.” Again, in the responsorial
psalm, we are reminded, “As for man, his days are like grass; he flowers like
the flower of the field; the wind blows and he is gone and his place never sees
him again.” For this reason, we must remain humble like little children,
knowing our place in this world and that we are dependent on God alone
ultimately. We are called to trust in Him. “As a father has compassion on
his sons, the Lord has pity on those who fear him; for he knows of what we are
made, he remembers that we are dust. But the love of the Lord is
everlasting upon those who hold him in fear; his justice reaches out to
children’s children when they keep his covenant in truth.”
The blessings and
privileges He has given to us are meant for us to bless others so that they in
turn can share their blessing and joys. They are not meant for our selfish use and
pleasures. When we use them well by a life of humble service, we find an
inner strength in us, because our happiness does not depend on people’s
recognition and praises. We find an inner peace in us, living our life
simply and responsibly, not having to prove our worth to anyone but always
thinking of others. Indeed, as C.S. Lewis said, “Humility is not thinking less
of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” This was the way of Blessed
Virgin Mary, always forgetful of herself but thinking of others. This is
the path to fullness of life.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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