Daily Reflection for Tuesday March 02 2021
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Tuesday's readings at this link:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030221.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
Responsorial: Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12
Our reflection on Tuesday’s readings:
"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Mt 23:12
When I was a teenager, one of the hardest lectures to accept included the line: "Do what I say, not what I do." That is what I hear when Jesus tells the crowds and disciples to "...do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example," regarding the scribes and the Pharisees. The scribes and the Pharisees were teaching Moses' laws, and the Jews needed to follow those to keep the covenant, but it must have been difficult to hear from the self-righteous and self-promoting scribes and Pharisees. In my youth, I was too quick to throw out the good with the bad. Waiting for the perfect messenger, I disregarded the good coming from mere humans. I worry that I may be using that same filter even now.
Thank God for Jesus' example. His message was "follow me," and he doesn't ask us to do anything that he did not do. It is a blessing that many have followed Jesus, and in seeking to serve others humbly, they invite us to follow them along the way. Mother Theresa is an excellent example of humble service. And many others -- some in our own parish that are humble servants of the Lord -- we can also learn from them.
May you be blessed this Lenten season and find joy in humbly serving the Lord.
Deacon John McShea