Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 27, 2024
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.”
One day, after weeks and weeks of countless patient reminders to put his shoes away, my 7-year-old said his sneakers were nowhere to be found. Naturally, this announcement came when we were running late for his younger brother’s basketball game. At my wits’ end with this recurring issue, I finally decided today was the day to learn a hard lesson, and he was loaded into the car with no shoes. The tears and drama that followed were hard to endure, but since that lesson, his sneakers have (almost) always been put away.
Reading today’s gospel, I imagine Jesus’ frustration was very similar to mine—how many times must I teach this lesson before it sticks? Is there a new way to describe an old problem that my students can relate to more? Idolizing ourselves and things above God is not a new problem. It comes up several times throughout the Old Testament, yet the Pharisees, who are students of the Torah, do not seem to have learned their lesson.
Reflecting on the gospel, I wonder if I have learned that lesson. It’s a convicting reflection when we consider what we put above God—money, career success, social status, image, and even our phones. When we are so familiar with the gospel readings, it can become easy to forget to apply the lessons Jesus taught to us in our own lives.
When I think about how my son finally learned his lesson, I wonder what it will take for me to understand my lesson. Can I take steps now to avoid a more harsh reckoning?
We have Lent. Lent is such a powerful season to build new habits of humility and love. As we look to strip away our sins, may we reflect on our identities as sons and daughters of God, a poignant reminder of our need to cultivate the habits our Father has taught us.
Prayer
Jesus, you taught the crowd and your disciples that whoever would be the greatest among them would be their servant. May all leaders be inspired by your example of humility, seeking not to exalt themselves at the expense of others but rather to serve and support those under their care. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Venerable Henriette Díaz DeLille is one of six Black Americans, including Julia Greeley and Venerable Pierre Toussaint, who is on the path towards officially being recognized as saints in the Roman Catholic Church. Ven. Henriette does not yet have an official feast day, so she is featured here today in celebration of Black History Month.
Mother Henriette was the founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family in the city of New Orleans. She was born in 1813, to a mother who was a free woman of color, Marie-Josèphe. Her mother lived with a man named Jean-Baptiste, in what was known as the plaçage system. Through the plaçage system, white men lived in common-law—as opposed to civil or sacramental—marriages with women of color. Henriette grew up with her siblings in New Orleans' French Quarter. Her mother raised them Roman Catholic, and educated Henriette to be an accomplished young woman, in preparation for her own marriage to a wealthy patron. But Henriette had different plans for herself. She wanted to bring education to the poor girls of New Orleans and began teaching children around the city when she was still a teenager.
In 1835, Henriette's mother had a nervous breakdown, and Henriette inherited all her mother's assets. Henriette set aside enough money to continue caring for her mentally ill mother and then sold all of her mother's remaining property. With the proceeds of this sale, Henriette began her own religious congregation, which she named the Sisters of the Presentation, later renamed the Sisters of the Holy Family. The Sisters of the Holy Family, to this day, operate schools, nursing homes, and retirement communities for those in need throughout the Southern USA.
Henriette DeLille died in 1862, in the midst of the civil war. Her cause for canonization was opened in 1988, and Pope Benedict XVI declared her "venerable" on March 27, 2010.
Venerable Henriette Díaz DeLille, American witness to holiness—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Henriette Díaz DeLille is in the public domain. Last accessed December 6, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
