November 2 - Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time : Beware of pride!

 

First Reading
Malacihi 1:14-2:2

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 130 

Second Reading
Thessalonians 2:7-9:13 

Gospel Reading
 Mathew 31 : 1-12 

In today’s Gospel Jesus says, “He who exalts himself will be humbled”. Today we are reminded of the deadliest of all sins- pride. It tops the list of the even deadliest sins. It is defined as the exaltation, the glorification of the ego. A person is in a dangerous position if he or she thinks that the world is revolving around him or her, that he or she is indispensable. When a person thinks this way, he or she is already on the way to destruction. Every Christian therefore, despite the temptations to Pharisee-ism in all of us, is to seek to render selfless service rather than to obtain titles, recognition or power. Our Christian love demands of us to manifest God’s love in our life. Let us remember Jesus saying, “The greatest among you must be your servant. The best soil for the growth of Christian virtue is humble service and detachment - detachment from not only things, but from praise and prestige. And this is the Good News of today.