Soul Food for Sundays

A Reflection for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (19th September 2021)

19th September 2021
Mark 9:30-37

The Author: Wilfred Otubo C.S.Sp.
calendar_today Date: August 31, 2021 - 2 minutes read

https://catholicreadings.org/twenty-fifth-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b/  –  

True Life Demands Self-Giving.

The godless say to themselves:  “Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us”. However, Christ assures those rooted in faith that “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God’’. (Mt 5:9). In peace they will rest (Psalm 4) because of the true life lived in simplicity, full of love, joy and hope.

What we can do is imitate Christ, who always advocated for peace, and always be prepared in our hearts. A humble heart will exhibit humility; likewise, a peaceful heart.

Peace-makers sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness. One loses nothing in helping another to light his or her candle; rather we increase the intensity of light. Likewise, we lose nothing when we live peacefully with each other. However, we create a better world.

When you offer peace it will prevail everywhere, and this is a calling for all of us since we are all leaders who in our different capacities can opt to advocate for peace.

It is when we become proud and greedy that we end up blind. We imagine that we are – and can be self-sufficient – detaching ourselves from God, creating our own gods in our comfort zones, losing sight of true life which demands self-giving and service of our neighbour.

Instead, we think of ourselves and promote the philosophy of “Me, Myself and I”, eradicating the aspect of advocating for peace.

Christ in the gospel rejects this pride and greed for power: “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and a servant of all.”

Christ advocates service. This demands self-giving, mercy, love and humility. This is our calling as disciples.

Today we embrace the example of Christ who came, not to be served, but to serve, and who humbled himself and did not count equality with God as a thing to be grasped. We are called to be simple and to be at the service of the people who are entrusted to our care in peace, simple like children who are icons of simplicity inviting us to make the world a better place.

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Wilfred Otubo C.S.Sp.

A native of Uganda, Wilfred took up his 2-year appointment in 2020 to the Irish Province. Based in Ardbraccan, he is undertaking a Missionary Pastoral Experience programme.