Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s reading is a powerful one that speaks of the essence of Jesus’ life and the example he gives us of self-emptying and availability to others. We are invited to take on the mind and attitude of Christ - by humbling ourselves and of being obedient. Let’s explore what the humility and obedience of Christ might look like in our lives? Humility calls us to recognize that we are simply of the earth, like the humus of the soil - the ground from which all growth comes. We are invited to cultivate an attitude of lowliness, rather than focusing on ourselves, and embodying a pride or arrogance that puts us above others with an unwillingness to learn from those who are different. The root meaning of obedience is a deep listening - to how the Spirit speaks to us in our hearts in prayer, through those we are committed to in our families or communities, through Scripture and through the teaching and unfolding of the traditions of our Church. Together, they invite us into embodying an active receptivity and availability to respond to how we are inviting to receive and express God’s love - especially to the lowly and outcast most in need.
Today the Church also celebrates St. Martin de Porres - a Peruvian lay Dominican brother of Spanish, African and Indigenous heritage, who was noted for his work on behalf of the poor and the sick. He grew up in poverty himself, and developed skills in cutting hair and listening to the needs of others. He was generous and untiring in fasting and continuing to care for the ill, even at risk to his own health. He is the patron saint of Black people, mixed-race people, barbers, innkeepers, public-health workers and all those seeking racial harmony. We can ask St. Martin to pray for us and walk with us as we grow in our union with Christ and loving responsiveness to all peoples, especially those in need.
-Sr. Leanne Jablonski FMI