ST. CHARLES BORROMEO, BISHOP - MONDAY OF WEEK 31 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

If you make my word your home
you will indeed be my disciples,
and you will learn the truth, says the Lord. JN 8:31-21

PHILIPPIANS 2:1-4

My Soul's Beloved,

No truer words have ever been spoken, Lord. Nothing can unite us to You, to the Father, and to the Holy Spirit more perfectly than love, and only love can unite us to our neighbor. There is no other way than the way of love. True love guarantees, in the power of the Holy Spirit, all the virtues necessary to build up Your Body, the Church. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we love and serve each other humbly, tenderly, and conscientiously. Only grace and a will conformed to You can impel us to always seek the good of the other. When I lay down my life for my brothers and sisters will I be happy and fulfilled. 

Nothing is more unattractive, there is no greater obstacle to true friendship than people who are conceited, and boastful, think that they are better than anyone else, make sure that everyone knows all their accomplishments, subtly put down others, and raise themselves up. They ensure they are upfront and visible so everyone can notice them. No good work they do is hidden they trumpet it aloud. They are busybodies, prominent and active ensuring that everyone notes their presence and commends them. Their self-gratification swells as they feed on compliments. They are the mirror opposite of all that St. Paul says a Christian ought to be and they have already received their reward. It is only by dying to self daily, hourly, moment by moment, that we can become like You, Lord.   

If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing which would make me completely happy. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead.

PSALM 130(131)

Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.

O Lord, my heart is not proud
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great
nor marvels beyond me.

Truly I have set my soul
in silence and peace.
A weaned child on its mother’s breast,
even so is my soul.

O Israel, hope in the Lord

both now and forever.

Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.

LUKE 14:12-14

My Soul's Beloved,

There is no greater virtue than self-effacing humility. Doing great good or little acts of charity that are hidden from view so that one's right hand does not know what one's left hand is doing. It is often the case when the shallow rich and powerful make a great and public display of their good works. The media is right there to record for posterity their works of charity and there is great applause and they are complimented and gushed over by everyone which feeds their self-gratification and makes them feel good. They have received their reward.

It is the Catholic institutions all over the world, hidden, unseen by the powers that be, or even if they are known they are not talked about because it does nothing to benefit the wealthy and the powerful. In fact, they are often persecuted, and oppressed, their lives are in danger because they dare to put the needs of the poor, the marginalized, the forgotten, and those on the peripheries. This often makes the rich and powerful angry because they prefer to sweep aside the rights of the voiceless, trample all over them, and destroy them especially if they are a hindrance to something they want to lay their greedy hands on. The priests, brothers, and sisters, and the lay Christian missionary who is prepared to live in solidarity with the poor, the sick, the orphan, and the widow they are ministering to You they are serving You, for You have said, 'Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters you do it to me.' 

It takes sympathy, compassion, gratitude, and an awareness that we will be called to give an account of our stewardship of the gifts we've been given, and above the grace and help of the Holy Spirit, that will help us to live the Gospel. We may not be able to do great things but let us always keep our eyes open to seek those in need and do what we can give as generously as we can, have our purses open to share what we have and if all we can offer is a smile then let us not withhold that smile or a kind word to those who are often unseen and alone.

Jesus said to his host, one of the leading Pharisees, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’