Dear Brothers and Sisters,
A priest was saying how important is the framing of the gospel today, what came before and what followed after it. Before is the cure of the man with dropsy. It is a very painful disease caused the abdomen and arms and the legs to swell. Jesus Christ has compassion on the man and heals him right away even if it is the sabbath and the pharisees are watching him. The Lord doesn’t change his behavior because of what the others will say or do. Nor should we. The sabbath, when we live it well, helps us to see the misery of the other and relieve them of any pain or discomfort. The sabbath is made for man; it’s helps man to be like Christ. This is a huge help to not be so self-focused and to see the other, not as a competitor but as a brother or sister.
The gospel that follows todays can help us to see what we are missing if we are always looking at the other. It speaks of the messianic banquet that all are invited to attend. The first round of people all has an excuse not to attend the celebration and the master had to go out to the highways to fill his banquet hall. How can we enter the banquet if we are competing with the others, if we are always comparing ourselves to them? Surely, we will have something else to do and miss something beautiful. How many people run around chasing a dream and never enter the joy that God has prepared for them? How often do we miss that gift that God has for us?
Humility is the truth. It does not mean to put ourselves down constantly. When we are complemented for a good deed rather than saying, ‘Oh, it was nothing’, humility requires acceptance and gratitude. One could say, ‘Thank you, and may God be glorified’. Solanus Casey went to the diocesan seminary in Detroit and flunked out because he didn’t know Greek or Latin. Then he went to a Capuchin seminary and still was a poor student and was ordained a simplex priest; he could not preach or hear confessions, he could only say Mass. During the Great Depression so many were hungry that he would go to the chapel to pray for food. Soon thereafter a truckload of bread would arrive at the soup kitchen.
Thousands came to the monastery and told their troubles to Fr. Solanus. He always prayed with them, and their troubles were lightened. One day a bricklayer had an accident and lye burned his eyes. His wife came to see Fr. Solanus and was so distraught wondering how she would support five children whose husband was blind. Father told her to pray to St. Joseph and when the bandages were removed, he had two perfectly healed eyes.
The humble person is loved more than one who is giving out gifts. Why is that? Because the humble person is not competing with us. He puts himself beneath us. He is not upset if he is treated badly; he knows he deserves much worse. We can relax with him/her.
The dinner table is a wonderful opportunity to sit together and give thanks for the food and enjoy the conversation of the others. It is a time for children to learn manners and culture as they enter into conversation with adults. Don’t let the devil rob you of the simple pleasures of life. Be humble, be at peace, enter into the life of the others and your life changes.