Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. – James 4:10

There they were, a panel of judges, looking at me from head to toe. “You desperately need a haircut.” “Your polo makes you look forgettable.” “Wear contact lenses instead.”

       I was at a professional development seminar and going through the roughest judgment of my life. Outside, I was smiling, but inside, I was dissenting. Suddenly, the emcee announced, “We’d like to surprise you with a makeover!”

       The next 30 minutes was the biggest (and fastest) transformation of my life! I fitted new clothes. Then I was given an eight-minute haircut. Finally, I was taught how to carry myself. Here’s the scary part: I was never allowed to look at myself so I was initially resisting the makeover.

       But when the doors opened, I stood there with my friends, awestruck. I walked in with a regained confidence that came from an openness to change and willingness to trust.

       God wants to do a makeover in our lives, too. He has prepared a whole wardrobe that will make us perfect in His eyes. But many times, we resist these changes. They seem too radical, too weird, too difficult. But are you willing to be a child and just surrender to His perfection and grace? Migs Ramirez (migoy3@gmail.com)

Reflection: Will you trust God even when you don’t see where you’re going?

Lord, pour Your grace upon me as I humble myself to see the new things You want me to experience each day.

Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio, pray for us.

Altruism is an important part of being a disciple of Jesus. This means that we learn to be concerned about the needs of others and not just our own. Our faith is most truly expressed through our concern for others. Look at the example of Jesus. He tells us during His ministry in both word and deed, that He came not to be served but to serve. This must become the basis for our life of discipleship. Let us seek how we can best serve in the Kingdom of God.

1 Beloved: Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? 2 You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. 3 You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 Adulterers! Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says, “The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy?” 6 But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. 9 Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

6 [7] And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest. 7 [8] Far away I would flee; I would lodge in the wilderness. (R) 8 [9] “I would wait for him who saves me from the violent storm and the tempest.” 9 [10] Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels. (R) In the city I see violence and strife; 10 [11] day and night they prowl about upon its walls. (R) 22 [23] Cast your care upon the Lord, and he will support you; never will he permit the just man to be disturbed. (R)

Jesus makes it very clear that following Him will not be easy. This is the second of the “take up your cross and follow Me” passages. There is a cost involved in following Jesus. For the martyrs, the cost was their lives. This will probably not happen to us, but in some ways the daily martyrdom of obedience to God’s Word, if we truly take it up seriously, is just as difficult.

May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

30 Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. 31 He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. 33 They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. 35 Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” 36 Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it he said to them, 37“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

think: Our faith is most truly expressed through our concern for others.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Timothy 1-4

A visit to the Obizpado de Cubao is always a pleasant experience for me. Bishop Honesto Ongtioco would joyfully welcome me and other visiting priests. He would walk me to my car at the parking area and wave goodbye until I have left. Dining with him is another story. He puts food on my plate and serves me whatever I want for drinks. And then he would put out all the possible “to go” items that I could bring home with me.

       And there’s the late Msgr. Ceferino Sanchez, a housemate at the Cardinal Sin Welcome Home. When my psoriasis was at its worst, he bought an ointment prescribed to him by a dermatologist. Not only that, he lovingly applied the ointment to my wounds with his bare hands. Oh, how I cried at his deathbed. (By the way, I’m now psoriasis-free!)

       Jesus says in the Gospel, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Pope Francis exemplifies this call of the Gospel. Following the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, he commits himself to the service of the poor, the least and the last. He washed and kissed the feet of prisoners, AIDS patients and inmates at a youth rehabilitation center. He is a servant at heart.

       As a parish priest, I was used to being served until I moved to my present residence, where I get to serve at Mass like a sacristan, help another priest read the sacramentary, prepare things for the Holy Hour, visit and cheer up the bedridden housemates. I may not have the heart of a servant yet, but I enjoy playing the supporting role to other priests.

       Receiving a child in Jesus’ name means serving the little ones, the voiceless, the powerless. It means seeing Jesus in them and  serving Him in them. It was one great challenge that the Lord gave His Apostles in their quest for greatness — the same path on which we are invited to journey. Fr. Erick Y. Santos, OFS

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you recognize Jesus’ invitation for you to serve the little ones?

Lord Jesus, help me to find joy not in greatness but in humble service to others.