Homily for Saturday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II
Theme: JESUS AND THE HYPOCRITES….. “Whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great”
By: Fr. Antoni CAROL i Hostench
Homily for Saturday August 22 2020
Today, once more, Jesus Christ addresses us a request for humility, an invitation to position us in the true place we belong to: «Do not let yourselves be called Master (…); neither should you call anyone on earth Father, (…) nor should you be called leader» (Mt 23:8-10). Before assuming all these titles, let us try to thank God, for we have received from him whatever we have.
As St. Paul says «For who makes you different? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?» (1Co 4:7). So, when we are conscious of having correctly behaved, it would do us good to repeat: «We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty» (Lk 17:10).
Modern men are undergoing a regrettable amnesia: we live and behave as if we should have been the generators of life and creators of the world. In direct contrast, though, Aristotle is to be admired. In his natural theology he ignores the concept of “creation” (concept known in those times only by Divine Revelation), but, at least, he had quite clear in his mind this world depended on the Divinity (the “Incaused cause”). John Paul II appeals to us to remember what we owe to God: «Man must honour his Creator by offering him, in praise and thanksgiving, whatever he has received from Him. Man cannot lose this sense of duty, which only him may recognize, amongst all other earthly realities».
Besides, thinking of the everlasting life, our cooperation —He will not do anything without our permission nor without our effort!— consists of not disturbing the Holy Spirit’s labour: to let God do it!; for saintliness is not “manufactured” by us, but granted by him, who is Master, Father and Leader. In any case, if we do believe we are and possess something, let us hasten to put it at the service of our fellow men: «Let the greatest among you be the servant of all» (Mt 23:11).
Fr. Antoni CAROL i Hostench
(Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain)