READINGS AT MASS TODAY
Malachi 1:14-2:2, 8-10
Psalm 131
1 Thess 2:7-9,13
Matt. 23:1-12
Theme: TRUE GREATNESS
Dear friends in Christ, N'wokafu YESU KRISTO...
Jesus, in addressing the issue of true greatness, ridiculed the authority of the Pharisees who sought recognition and power by lording it over the people. Contrary to popular belief, Jesus revealed that true greatness lies in service. With this revelation, Jesus revolutionized the whole concept of power. Great power no longer laid in the number of subjects and subordinates one had but in the number of beneficiaries. The measure of greatness then is the number and the kind of people benefiting from our service.
In the First Reading, the Prophet Malachi chastised the Temple priests whose ministry no longer served the interest of God. Through this, we learn that any exercise of power and authority devoid of service to God and humanity, and which attempts to displace God from His rightful place in the affairs of men, is not a true exercise of power but selfishness and intimidation.
Beloved in Christ, greatness does not come from fame or popularity. No pile of college degrees or amount of television, radio or social media appearances can make a person great because true greatness does not lie in the number of people who 'worship' and admire a perceived great person on earth.
Like St. Paul, true power, the kind that makes us great
in the sight of God, should make us gentle like a nursing mother, whose tender
care for her child causes her to become like a servant to her child (cf. Second
Reading).
May we also be determined to share, in addition to all other things, our very selves in the service of God and one another.
PRAYER
Lord, you have taught me that it is in service that we realize our true greatness. Give me the grace to be of true and acceptable service to all who I may encounter in the journey of life. Amen.
May God bless you.
-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre
Sunday, November 5, 2023.
Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.
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