Reflection on Today's Readings, Tuesday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time Year II, 18th August, 2020
Texts: Ez. 28:1-10; Ps. Deut. 32:26-28.30.35-36; Matt. 19:23-30
The Scripture says, "Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall" (Pr. 16:18). Pride occurs when one arrogates to his/herself honour not due to him/her. It is a self-deception. Those who are prone to pride are those who enjoy God's grace. They are prone to pride because the tendency to arrogate to themselves the works of God's grace is always there. Hence, Jesus Christ, in today's gospel, says, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven". When we see our achievements as the result of our own effort, it makes us to fall into two errors. The first is that we become attached to it and be obliged to use it according to our own plan rather than God's. Today's gospel is a sequel to yesterday's gospel; the young rich man, having seen his possessions as the result of his effort, could not imagine giving out his possessions to those he might have considered lazy fellow. If we see our wealth, talents, gifts, skills, achievements as coming from God, we will see ourselves as custodians of them and also be obliged to use them according to his will and purpose. Having acknowledged God's grace in our lives, we become detached from them and feel no pain in giving them out for his glory.
The second error we could fall into is self-exaltation and disregard of others. We will see ourselves as superior to others. If we recognize that it is God's grace that is working us, then we will be humble and not disregard others.
Whatever we do that wins praise, admiration and commendation is an act of God's grace. Hence, today's psalmist says, "how should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had given them up?"
The grace of God does one thing to us: it makes us participate in God's glory. The danger there is when we claim the glory as the result of our effort. That was the problem with the prince of Tyre. It is written thus: "Thus says, the Lord God: 'Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ' I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas', you are but a man and no god". As result of his pride, God says, "I will bring strangers upon you, the terrible of nations. .... Will you still say, 'I am a god,' in the presence of those who slay you, though you are but a man, and no god, in the hands of those who wound you?"
Today's Readings teach us to give back to God his due and stop being proud.
May God open our eyes to know who we truly are, man and no god, and help us to return to him his glory. Amen.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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