REFLECTIONS ON THE WORD – 12/14/21 (Memorial of St. John of the Cross)

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Blessed Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent and blessed memorial of St. John of the Cross! Jesus shows to us that humility is the key to obedience. In our gospel reading, the second son said, "yes" to his father, but he did not obey. This represented the chief priests and elders who were so focused on their external devotions that they thought they were holy while they condemned the sinners. They may be praying with their lips thinking that they were great, but their hearts were full of impurities, and their pride became an obstacle for believing in Christ. 

Unfortunately, one of the struggles a person may experience after coming back to God is pride. We may think we're holier than others because of the virtues we see that we may forget these are gifts from God which He give freely even if we do not deserve it. Perhaps, we think we're greater than others because of the number of prayers we say daily that we may forget that we are also sinners who need His saving grace until the hour of our death. Our God is telling us that we need Him at every moment of our lives no matter how many our virtues or sins are, and without His mercy, we cannot be saved. Everytime we become overconfident because of pride, it will be our downfall from the road of holiness.

May we always recognize our unworthiness in our prayers, especially as we pray before the images of Jesus and His crucifix. May we reflect upon the times when we judge others and think that we're better than them, and let us always ask forgiveness from God everytime we see we're guilty of pride. Let us beg for the grace of humility to Jesus through the intercession of our Holy Mother Mary. Our God can transform the worst sinners to the greatest saints as long as we humble ourselves before Him and consider ourselves as the least. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May God bless us and may He grant us the grace of humility. May He lead us to repentance and self-denial, so we may come to the eternal vision of His glory. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic