Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 21, 2021
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
It’s easy to get caught up in the pomp and circumstance of a wedding, especially when you’re one of the people getting married. My wife (a word I’m still getting used to) and I learned this last weekend. We got actual seats of honor in the church and at the ensuing banquet. Even in the lead up to the big day, it grew difficult to feel anything other than, well, exalted.
So, in those final few days of wedding planning, I kept returning to this gospel passage to ground myself. My reflections on Jesus’ words challenged me to focus on humility and remain rooted in my love for my wife and our sacrament of marriage rather than the grand event that surrounded it.
And it was a challenge. It feels good to be celebrated and showered with adulation. Chasing praise is often tempting and feels quite natural. But as Jesus so powerfully reminds us, pursuit of exaltation, though easy, only leads to hypocrisy and sin. Our faith demands more of us. Seeking humility requires us to be intentional and set aside our worldly desires to follow the will of our Father in heaven and of Christ our master.
Although this quest for humility is a constant challenge, God provides the only tool we need to be successful: love. After all, what is more humbling than experiencing God’s divine love for us through our human relationships? Putting this love—no matter if we encounter it in marriage, family, friendship, or even the company of strangers—at the center of our lives removes all burdens from our path to humility. And on that journey, Jesus assures us that we will find great joy.
Prayer
Dear Lord, today, you talk about being with people who put on airs, who think themselves more important or more knowledgeable than they really are. Oh, how we want to puncture them with a few well-chosen words! Yet in reality they may be the most frightened and lonely people around. Help us to serve them, to ease or grow out of their fear instead of condemning them.
Saint of the Day
Any Catholic who received first communion in second grade can thank Pope St. Pius X, who extended the practice to children, saying that “Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven.”
Joseph Sarto was born in 1835, one of eight children in a poor family; his father was a shoe cobbler. He was an excellent student, and felt an early call to the priesthood. After his ordinations, he was continually given new responsibilities because of the potential his superiors saw in him. In 1884 Joseph was named bishop of a region in Italy, and he became a cardinal ten years after that. He was elected pope in 1903 and took the name Pius X.
He was a rare pope in that he had extensive experience as a pastor of a parish before his election to the papacy in 1903. He had great concern for the everyday lives of the faithful and had a desire to “renew all things in Christ.” He was known for his simple and clear, direct homilies, and he encouraged all the faithful to read the Bible, which re-energized biblical studies.
Among his lasting contributions to the lives of Catholics: he encouraged frequent reception of Communion; began the renewal of the liturgy, which would flower in the Second Vatican Council; and gathered canon law into one code for the first time. His decree on the age for first Communion allowed children aged 7 and older to receive the Eucharist; the practice had been reserved for children at least 12 to 14 years old.
He was known as a holy man and encouraged personal piety through prayerful devotion and living with humility and simplicity. He had a soft spot in his heart for children—even as pope, he would carry candy in his pockets and walk the streets of Rome to encounter and teach children there.
His will contained one sentence: “I was born poor, I have lived poor, I wish to die poor.” The reliquary chapel in the Basilica contains nearly a dozen of his relics, and the museum in the Basilica holds one of his white, papal zucchettos (the small cap worn by bishops).
Pope St. Pius X, you renewed the Church and profoundly changed Catholic life--pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Pope St. Pius X is in the public domain. Last accessed March 27, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.