Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
(Isaiah 1:10.16-20; Matthew 23:1-12)
Yesterday’s gospel emphasized mercy. Today’s stresses humility. And tomorrow’s will highlight service. It seems that during this second week of Lent the Church means to prepare its people for ministry.
Moralist Fr. Richard Gula says that humility is hard to understand, much less to cultivate. Why be humble? Are not those who promote themselves rewarded? Gula believes that the humble will foster cooperation among a group to successfully complete a common task. In baseball, for example, recruiters no longer pay exclusive attention neither to homerun hitters nor to those with the highest batting averages. What they increasingly want are players who will get on base be it with a hit, a walk, being hit by a pitched ball, or even by striking out on a wild pitch.
We don’t have to be introverted or sad to be humble. We just have to recognize that the world, the community, or the team does not revolve around us. Everyone is important and deserves recognition. In the end humility will move us to recognize our faults before God and to ask for His mercy.
