Tuesday of the 19th week in ordinary time

Deut. 31: 1-8       Mathew 18: 1-5.10.12-14

Theme: Be strong and of good courage

In the 1st reading of today from the Book of Deuteronomy, God calms the fear of Moses and mandated him to take the same message to Joshua, whom he has chosen to lead the Israelites into the promised land. This is the point when Moses had to handover the leadership to Joshua, as directed by God. This event points out the depth of faith of Moses in God’s process. It is a difficult situation that will not be very easy for anyone of us to accept freely, without feeling bad about the situation that was unfolding. Ordinarily, one can say that after all the difficulties that Moses encountered from the beginning of this journey, God would have granted him the privilege to lead the Israelites into the promised land. But that was not the case, rather God had a different plan for both Moses and Joshua. So, Moses brought the people out of Egypt and Joshua was to take them into the promised land. Sometimes this is our human reality, and we are not happy when it happens to us directly. At moments like this, we pray for the grace of God to strengthen our faith and give us the courage that we need to pass through the situation. Interestingly, Moses did exactly what God directed him to do without any form of rebellion.

In the gospel reading of today from St. Mathew, we see the human quest for leadership and supremacy, even among the Apostles, and Jesus used the opportunity to educate them on what matters most in their call to discipleship. He used the opportunity to give them a lesson on humility, as what truly matters in our journey of faith. This teaching given to them by Jesus is quite different from their original pursuit about who is the greatest among them. In the same way dear friends in Christ, the Lord is also encouraging us to be mindful of this fact and to practice it in our daily lives. Humility is a necessity in our lives as children of God, just the same way Jesus did it on holy Thursday, when he washed the feet of his Apostles. We are all encouraged to place our priorities right and embrace the things that truly matters in our lives as children of God. As you do this, may almighty God bless you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.