Reflection for Sunday October 27th.

The Humble Will Be Exalted
A Reflection for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD
Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans Divine Mercy
Independent Catholic Church of the Americas
Video of this weeks Television Reflection http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMlUe5Tbrfc
Link to All Reflections TV Shows; http://www.youtube.com/user/RevBobJohn 
Link to St. Joseph Cupertino Parish: http://stjosephcupertino.com/index.html 
Link to Mission Web Site: www.missionstsergius.org   
Link to Franciscans of Divine Mercy Web Site: www.franciscansdivinemercy.org 
Link to the Independent Catholic Church of the Americas http://www.iccamericas.org/

This week’s Gospel reading is from Luke 18:9-14 and it calls us to be humble and not boast or consider ourselves as better than any other person on the face of the earth. This Gospel ends with the following words; “This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’ Luke 18:14 Consider the message of this reading and the words of Christ found in Matthew 9:13, Mark 2:17 and Luke 5:32 “I have come to call NOT those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”. Christ did not keep the company of the rich, famous, or hierarchy of the Jewish faith but aligned himself, while here on this earth, with those who were considered the outcasts of society. Christ chose to be born in the humblest settings, in a stable with the feeding troth of the animals as his crib and the breath of the animals to keep him warm. He associated with common laborers who were among the poorest of the poor. Jesus chose as disciples, those who society considered the marginalized and lowest of the society, and He associated with the “Publicans and Sinners” who the leaders of the Jewish religion looked down upon and maligned. Christ’s actions and way of life while here on earth were meant to remind us that God does not ignore anyone and that God has a special concern for the needs of the poor, disenfranchised and those that society often ignores and tries to marginalize. One of my favorite books of the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes, it is one of my favorites because it contains much wisdom. Ecclesiastes is often overlooked even though it contains many passages that have become famous quotes like this one: “ There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” We might want to ponder upon these words in Chapters 5; “The covetous man is never satisfied with money, and the lover of wealth reaps no fruit from it; …Where there are riches there are also many to devour them” “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.” We see this every day of the year all around us, the rich constantly seek to have more and more while the poor are often overlooked and often deprived of some of life’s necessities. Chapter 5 of Ecclesiastes also has this to say; “Don’t be surprised when you see that the government oppresses the poor and denies them justice and their rights.” In another section we read the following; “As goods increase, so do those who consume them. What benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? …I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.” These powerful words are ones which we might want to call to mind whenever we go seeking some of life’s luxuries that we already possess in good working order but are not the latest model. I love the commercials where people are breaking or throwing away working cell phones just so they have a reason to buy the latest, the commercials say much about our society and our need to always have the newest even though we already have a perfectly good one. This next section from Ecclesiastes is especially worth thinking about; “Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.” The first reading for this Sunday is from the book of Sirach and it says; “Give to the Most High as he has given to you, generously, according to your means, for he is a God who always repays and will give back to you sevenfold. Offer God no bribes; these he does not accept!, For he is a God of justice, who shows no partiality. He hears the grievance of the oppressed. He does not forsake the cry of the orphan, nor the widow when she pours out her complaint”. He who serve God willingly is heard, His petition reaches the heavens” Not too long ago we watched on television as million dollar homes were washed away by flood waters along with all the possessions that the people who owned them had. This was a devastating thing to happen and we needed to pray for those people but it also points out how quickly material possessions can be lost. Instead of building us treasures for ourselves here on earth that can be gone in the blink of an eye, we need to do things that will build up for us a treasure in heaven. By having humility, generosity, compassion for the poor, repentance for our failures, faith in and a devotion to God in our daily lives can bring us more happiness each and every day than all the material wealth of the world. Psalm 34 tells us “The Lord hears the cry of the poor” He confronts the evildoers, He is close to the broken hearted, When the just cry out the Lord hears them and from all their distress he rescues them” As a people who profess to love God and who have been told how God desires us to act in all things with these words “LOVE THE LORD, YOUR GOD, WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART, MIND, SOUL AND BODY AND LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF” we are called to be mindful of those less fortunate than us and to reach out to them with generosity and compassion. We need to follow Christ’s example and align ourselves with those who society would rather overlook and considers as outcasts. We need to be welcoming and accepting of God’s diversity for none of us is sinless, no one is greater than another, we are all equal in the eyes of God and we must always remember these words from Ecclesiastes 2:26 “To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.” The message of today’s Gospel tells us; “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted” May God give us the wisdom and the humility we need to live our lives so that they are pleasing to Him and may we store up treasures in Heaven by using our earthly treasures for the benefit of our sisters and brothers in Christ. AMEN