"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew we hear how the mother of James and John asked Jesus to place her sons on thrones…..Jesus addresses her request telling her as followers of God, earthly status means very little…So the question for us to ponder today is - Do we thirst for earthly status? - Even as we serve God?……."You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many”…….When we contemplate the example of Jesus Christ we will quickly see how he lived a simple and humble life…..As St Paul tells us….”For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich”…For the first thirty years of Jesus life, we know very little about him…The Holy Family lived quietly, no one even looked at them twice!…..While Scripture does not document what their life was all about in Nazareth, I would guess that they lived upstanding lives, yet their example was given no fanfare……This is the life that Catholics around the world should aspire to live - But do we?….Living humbly - Living Simply - “Speaking” by our example……Is this the life you live?……The example of the Holy Family for the first thirty years in the life of Jesus Christ should be our model…..What we do for God and the Church does not have to bring us awards and accolades…And if it does, use the opportunity to point to God…..St Matthew warns us of the trap set for us by the devil himself - Even in our service for the Lord and to the Church - ”All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers”…….As servants of God, we must be mindful of why we do what we do - We should work for an audience of one - And that audience is God alone…Mother Teresa reminds us - “We are not called to be successful - We are called to be faithful…And if our work for the Lord “bears fruit”, let us know that our success is due to God’s grace…..In order to embrace such a mindset, a Catholic must deeply understand the creature - creator paradigm….We were created by God and without God “we can do nothing” - When we lose sight of this reality, we start to think more of ourself and less of God and in doing, we get “lost” - Even in our service for God and the Church!……..“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you”…The devil is shrewd, he can turn even our religious devotions into prideful displays….Be mindful and Be humble - Know who you truly are - A sinner in need of mercy - And give thanks - For God is merciful

“I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life”

It was not until I started to work with Mother Teresa’s sisters in 2007 that I began to understand what it means to live a “hidden life”…What I mean by a “hidden life” is to serve the Lord without fanfare…This was the life of the Holy family, St Joseph and Our Lady are the best examples of witnessing this lifestyle for us….The Missionaries of Charity do so many amazing things…They serve the poorest of the poor tirelessly, in every corner of the world and for the most part, no one even realizes it - And they do not care that the world does not “see” what they do - Because everything they do is done for God alone…This is how we must model our life as Catholics….I can remember the years I was the driver for the Missionaries of Charity in New York City…How many times people on the street wanted to take their picture and how the sisters would always politely decline…In this era of “selfies” and social media, the Missionaries of Charity live counter-culturally - They live this away because they know who they are at their core - Children of God - The sisters do not need to be the center of attention - God must be the center - And their witness “screams” this message without using words…..Because of their witness and influence, I am a better Catholic today…The world needs witnesses - Because people believe what they see!…..Aspire to live the “hidden life” as a Catholic….Work tirelessly and quietly to build the Kingdom of God and your Father in heaven who sees all things will one day reward you with the an eternal crown of life.

“Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”……They said to him, "We can."

Today at Mass St Matthew tells us a story of an over ambitious mother….Before we “point fingers” and criticize the Mother of James and John - Let us look at our own life….Do we work quietly in the vineyard of the Lord? - Do we aspire to live a hidden life in the service for God and His Church?……Looking at social media today, a very different picture is projected, even within the walls of the Church at times……The Holy Family should be our example, St Joseph and Our Lady put Jesus first - They were in the background, working day and night - They lived this way because they understood first who Jesus was and secondly, they understand who they were in relation to Jesus - The question is - Do we?……In the beginning of Lent when the priest places ashes on our forehead, these words are said to us….."Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”……These words are to reminder us about our own mortality…..Its very easily to lose sight of the fact that one day we will die, most especially if we have been gifted with many things - And if we have been gifted by God - We can start to “think” we are something we are not - And that is the trap set for us by the devil….So be humble and remain that way! - But how? - Is humility just a word Catholics like to “throw around”?……In order to authentically live a humble life,  we must feel the effects of a humble life - That comes down to our daily choices and the sacrifices we make for others that cost us deeply - You do not learn how to be humble by reading a book!….A person who lives in this manner stays grounded and focused knowing that true greatness rests in God alone and at the end of the day, we are simply sinners in need of mercy….Do we recognize that reality? - Regardless of all the “great things” we do?……………"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”……..JMJ