Brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ. I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it. Indeed, you are still not able, even now, for you are still of the flesh. While there is jealousy and rivalry among you, are you not of the flesh, and walking according to the manner of man? Whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely men?
What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
The Word of the Lord.
***
***
“Brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.”
In our first reading, Saint Paul is correcting the behavior of some of the earliest Christians. Instead of acting like mature adults, he says they’re being “infants.” They’re jealous and divided.
As a result, he has to “spoon feed” them the Gospel because they cannot digest it well.
***
I’d imagine Paul’s words left a bitter taste in their mouth. Nobody likes being corrected, or told how to live their life. But, ironically enough, if these Christians do not accept Paul’s criticism, then he could add pride to their list of sins!
Though not easy to digest, Paul is taking ownership for these Christian’s growth; he loves them. Like a spiritual father, he’s teaching them how to draw closer to Jesus.
And for the Corinthians – as is true for all of us at times – that meant being spoon fed a slice of humble pie.
***
How willing am I to accept criticism from others? Do I accept my need for growth?
***
May we all live the words of the Psalmist, “a humble, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.”
***
***
Image credits: (1) Quote Master (2) Agape Bible Study (3) Orthodox Christian Network
Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias’ own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” He even swore many things to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
The Gospel of the Lord.
***
***
This is an incredibly sad and dark passage. Why would Mark spend so much time describing the execution of John?
***
Primarily because John the Baptist’s death foreshadows what will happen to Jesus.
Just as John is murdered for speaking the truth to authority, so Jesus will be killed for confronting people with hard truths, including our need for repentance in order to be saved.
***
Herod’s foolish decisions also show the snowball effect of unchecked sin. Meaning, small sins can quickly snowball into much larger ones – a warning to us all.
It begins with Herod’s hardened heart. While he displays a mild religious curiosity by listening to the preaching of John, he isn’t converted.
Sin number one.
Then Herod invites his friends to his birthday party. What starts out as a celebration of life quickly turns into a banquet of death. Herod drinks until he’s drunk.
Sin number two.
Then his step-daughter enters and performs a highly suggestive dance. Moved by pride, he offers her anything she wants, even half of his kingdom. To his surprise she asks for the head of John the Baptist.
Too afraid of disappointing his guests, Herod has an innocent man killed. Sin number three.
Here we find the snowball effect of sin – Herod’s hardened heart leads to adultery, drunkenness, pride, and ultimately murder.
***
While you and I can hardly identify with such severity, Herod’s life is a warning to us all.
If there’s an area in our lives where sin is going unchecked – whether it’s dishonesty, addiction, lust, greed, or whatever else – we should make positive changes now. Otherwise, it can snowball into something even bigger.
May John pray for us, that his preaching of repentance will change us all for the better.
***
***
Image credits: (1) All That’s Interesting (2) St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness, Bosch (3) Nature’s Gourmet Farm
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Then he said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
***
***
A few years ago, I traveled to Ireland with a friend. While there, we celebrated Mass in his hometown church. It was a tiny chapel perched on a hill.
Walking in for the first time, I noticed something unusual… each pew had a name plate. Walking down the aisle you could read them all: “O’Callaghan. O’Connor. Murphy. Duffy. Doyle.”
When I asked “why,” he said the pews dated back to when the chapel was built. Each pew was auctioned off as a fundraiser. The last pew went to the highest bidder – and the first pew went to the lowest bidder.
“But why would someone pay to have a back row seat?” I asked him. “You could barely see the priest – and he could barely see you! You might even go unnoticed.”
He winked at me and said, “Humility.”
***
Humility.
It’s not a word that we use often today. Some people think that being humble means being a doormat or denying our self-worth.
But that’s not what Jesus means when he speaks about being humble – or taking the lowest seat – in today’s Gospel.
The word “humility” comes from the Latin, “humus,” meaning, “earth.” A humble person is well-grounded; their feet are firmly planted, allowing them to stand – not above or below – but shoulder to shoulder with their neighbor.
As Jesus says, a humble person is comfortable being with, “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,” and those “unable to repay you.”
***
C.S. Lewis said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself – less.”
Humility means thinking of yourself… less.
It means recognizing that we are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others.
So, what identifies a humble person?
***
Humility is the spouse who foregoes the last word, or the need to be right in an argument, in order to preserve peace in the household.
It’s the athlete who gets second place in a competition but sincerely congratulates the winner.
It’s the dad who foregoes a golf game in order to attend his child’s recital… or a meeting at church.
It’s your prayer partner who prays for you, not only at this Mass, but all week long.
It’s the person who quietly drops off fresh baked cookies for our café, or cleans the linens for church.
Often, these acts of kindness go unnoticed, but the humble person doesn’t do it for the recognition; they do it genuinely out of love.
***
Humility also means the ability to say, “no.”
There are so many demands placed upon our time. A humble person knows when – and how – to politely decline. They recognize that they cannot be everywhere at once; they only do what they can.
***
So, what exactly is humility?
It is hard to define.
But you know humility when you see it… and you know it when you don’t.
I think of those church pews back in Ireland. While the priest couldn’t always see the people seated in the back, everyone else who entered the church could. They’d walk right pass them, admiring just how “humble” they were.
Maybe that was the case. Maybe they were not only generous, but also humble. Their neighbors could’ve told you.
***
But in what ways is the Lord inviting us to be a little humbler this week, to think of others more and ourselves less?
***
As our first reading from Sirach reminds us, “Conduct your affairs with humility… and you will find favor with God.”
***
***
Image credits: (1) The New York Times (2) Pew, Wikipedia (3) Focolore.org
