Josen was not just a great boss but a mentor and friend as well. When I joined his unit as an analyst, he was most patient in teaching me the basics of my job. A good writer and meticulous editor, Josen’s objective corrections helped me in improving my writing skills. He gave me every opportunity to learn by bringing me to meetings and allowing me to observe actual negotiations. After several years, Josen continued to give me room to grow, and eventually promoted me to become a specialist. Through his patient mentoring and generous sharing of his talent and time, Josen “served” me so that I would be able to serve our department and our company in the best way I could.

       Jesus did the same for His Apostles. One of the best lessons He taught them was greatness in service. This He did in a most poignant way when He washed their feet during the Last Supper. “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet,” Jesus exhorted them. Today, He still teaches us the same lesson: serve one another. No matter your status in life — parent or child, rich or poor, boss or employee — true greatness comes from the humble, loving service of others. Dina Pecaña (dpecana@yahoo.com)

Reflection: “Nothing liberates our greatness like the desire to help, the desire to serve.” (Marianne Williamson)

“Brother, let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you. Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant, too.”

St. Rose of Lima, virgin, pray for us.

Falling prone is the position we should take in the celebration of the Eucharist, especially at the time of consecration. It is not practical to do this so we kneel. I remember one Eucharistic procession where, as we passed by the people, all fell to their knees in homage to the Real Presence. It would be good to rediscover this reverence and respect for the glory of God’s presence with us.

1 The angel led me to the gate which faces the east, 2 and there I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. I heard a sound like the roaring of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. 3 The vision was like that which I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and like that which I had seen by the river Chebar. I fell prone 4 as the glory of the Lord entered the temple by way of the gate which faces the east, 5 but spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court. And I saw that the temple was filled with the glory of the Lord. 6 Then I heard someone speaking to me from the temple, while the man stood beside me. 7 The voice said to me: Son of man, this is where my throne shall be, this is where I will set the soles of my feet; here I will dwell among the children of Israel forever.

R: The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.

8 [9] I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord — for he proclaims peace. 9 [10] Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. (R) 10 [11] Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. 11 [12] Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. (R) 12 [13] The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. 13 [14] Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps. (R)

Let us never make the mistake of being hypocrites. Let us be committed to live out every detail of our Christian lives so that all will know that Christians are true to their word and faithful to God’s will. It is not enough to simply know what is right; we need to do it. Jesus calls us to embrace His will in a wholehearted manner so that the witness we give to the Gospel will be strong and steadfast. There is nothing worse than watching someone who is totally uncertain about what to do next.

You have but one Father in heaven; you have but one master, the Christ.

1 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. 3 Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. 5 All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6 They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, 7 greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ 8 As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. 10 Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you must be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

think:  Jesus calls us to embrace His will in a wholehearted manner so that the witness we give to the Gospel will be strong and steadfast.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Job 34-37

GROW IN HUMILITY

I believe we should aim to grow in humility daily. Why so frequently? Well, for the main reason that it is a difficult task, and we are almost certain to abandon it often. It is better that we aim to grow in humility more often, daily in fact, so that at least once in a while it actually happens. This is somewhat convoluted, but I think you can see the point I am trying to make. My experience of the grace of humility is that it is a very difficult one to grasp and cling to through a period of growth.

       There is something in the human psyche that seems to embrace a form of arrogance, which leads us away from humility, and would prefer to ignore the call to exercise humility at all. Why? I think that it has something to do with the nature of Original Sin. This is a sin of rebellion that refuses to acknowledge that God is our Master. It is a sin of pride or the refusal to embrace the humility required of a creature in the presence of his Creator. We are all guilty of this in one way or another and to a certain degree — either more or less, it does not matter as it is still the sin of pride at work.

       How do we combat pride? We combat pride by welcoming opportunities to grow in humility. Each of us has countless opportunities to grow in humility, but more often than not, we just let them pass by or ignore them completely. This is why pride never finds it difficult to rear its ugly head, usually at the most inconvenient times. Our decision to avoid the moments when we could grow in humility means that pride has free range to develop in us. This is not a good thing for a disciple of Jesus as it will constantly stunt his opportunity for growth. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTION: How do you feel when you have allowed pride to rule your day?

Jesus, help me to open my heart to the opportunities to grow in humility daily. Holy Spirit, help me to embrace these opportunities with a newly found desire to be holy.