First Reading - Joshua 24:14-29
Gospel - Matthew 19:13-15
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that God created human beings "to know him, to love him and to serve him." This sentence explains about the purpose of God for our creation. The readings of day elaborately reiterate the purpose of our existence as in the CCC and invite us to live according to that purpose.
The first reading, taken from the book of Joshua, outlines the purpose of the saving action of God in bringing people to the promised land. Joshua, as an envoy of God, explains the expectations of God from the people. He invites the people to serve the Lord who has been worshipped by their ancestors (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob etc.) and who recognised Him and His jealous love for them. The phrase "serve him" has been repeatedly used in the pericope to underline the importance of the demand of God from the people to love and serve Him.
The gospel of the day helps us understand how we can employ humble service to God. The gospel narrates that the children visited Jesus with their parents for their parents wanted Jesus to bless their children. The apostles, disturbed by the gathering of the children, decide to chase them away but Jesus takes this occasion to teach a lesson from children. He says: "...Let them come to me, it is such of these, the kingdom of heaven belongs." Jesus, by saying this, teaches them that it's the humble and the dependent on God can come to him, and receive the gift of heaven. A child, in Jewish society, was considered to be insignificant and dependent on parents. The child did not have any identity apart from its parents. When Jesus says it is to the children the kingdom of heaven belongs, he bacons at the very role of the child in relation to its parents, so also a person approaching the kingdom must be dependent on God and this makes him humble before God.
Dear friends, yesterday we reflected on the theme of choosing God as the goal and purpose of our lives. Today the readings help us go a step further and discover that we choose God to love and serve Him. As in the first reading, Joshua stressed on "loving and serving the Lord" and the gospel reading accentuates on a disposition that is required to love and serve the Lord; they are the virtue of humility and a trustful dependence on God.
We certainly desire to love and serve God but what prevents us from doing that is our arrogance and pride. The arrogance makes us proud of ourselves and rejects God but the virtue of humility brings us on our knees to accept and love Him as our Lord. This gives an affirmation that we need God. Let's not allow our arrogance to rule and blind us. Let's choose God as the master of our lives and be ready to love and serve Him in our brothers and sisters and those in need.
May God help us become humble and loving servant of God.
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