Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 17, 2021
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
“Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”
Then Peter said to him in reply,
“We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
Recently I took on a new position at work, transitioning from leading a small team of less than a dozen to leading an organization numbering in the hundreds. It is a big move, a sign of the faith leadership has in my abilities and very good for my career.
However, the words of today’s gospel offer a challenge and a reminder about the trappings of wealth. Richness for me is not only money in the bank but also abilities, accolades, accomplishments, rewards, and recognition. I have been elevated in a leadership role and responsibility—some might call that power—but I am challenged here to maintain humility before God and those around me. “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
How do I maintain that humility? What am I called to do here? I snuck ahead to the next chapter of Matthew and found the passage that answers this burning question—one that resonates deeply with me. It is the call to servant leadership: Jesus “did not come to be served but to serve.” While predominant work culture may demonstrate a contrary leadership model, I have been blessed in my career journey to work with leaders and mentors who have set an example of what it looks like to lead by serving. These are people who put their team before themselves, uplift the team’s hard work and accomplishments for recognition, ensure all have access to resources and career advancement opportunities, and seek ways to enable the team rather than themselves.
When God blesses us in life and provides us the resources and examples of how to accept these graces, we are called to do all we can to live up to the challenge.
Prayer
Christ our teacher, you call each of us to be free of the things that enslave us, and enter into the true freedom of the children of God. Open our hearts, that we may accept your invitation, “Come, follow me.” Give us the grace today to commit our whole selves more fully to you. Help us especially this day to overcome any attachments in our lives that prevent us from following you as energetically as we can. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Clare of Montefalco led a convent in 13th century Italy, and did so with such holiness that she inspired many to seek perfection by imitating her example.
As a young woman, Clare gathered with a number of her own sisters and friends to live in Christian community together. They adopted a rule of life based on the Franciscan order, and one of Clare’s sisters was later chosen to lead a convent in Montefalco, Italy, under the Augustinian rule of religious life.
When her sister died, Clare, already known for her holiness, was asked to lead the community. Her devotion and personal prayer inspired the community to greater faithfulness.
Miracles were attributed to her as well as supernatural gifts and capacities, which she used to serve others. She had a great devotion to the suffering and death of Jesus and told a sister, “If you seek the cross of Christ, take my heart; there you will find the suffering Lord.” After her death, her community was in the process of removing her heart to place it in a reliquary (a practice not uncommon at the time), when they discovered that the muscle fibers of her heart held a perfect image of Jesus on the cross.
She died in 1308, and her body remained incorruptible—in 1881, a visiting reporter beheld her face and hands and noted that she appeared to be simply asleep. Her relics rest in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
St. Clare of Montefalco, your physical heart was found to bear the image of the crucifixion—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Clare of Montefalco is in the public domain. Last accessed March 27, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
