Thursday of the 4th week of Easter year A
Theme: Humility: Is a necessity
In the gospel reading of today, Jesus reminds us of the fact that humility is very important in our lives as children of God. We see this in his action of washing the feet of his Apostles, even though he was their master. Ordinarily, this is an action that should not be carried out by him, according to the Jewish custom; but he was using this opportunity to teach them about the importance of humility and service in their lives as followers of Christ. He also went further by pointing out the fact that a servant is not greater than his master, nor he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, all these put together is saying a lot to all of us who are followers of Christ. We are encouraged in a very special way today to emulate Jesus, by putting his admonition in today’s gospel into practice in our daily lives. The key words in the gospel are humility and service. In view of this dearly beloved in Christ, we are all encouraged today to make honest and sincere effort to practice humility and service in our daily lives. The more we can practice them in our daily lives, the easier it will be for us to witness for Christ and win souls for the kingdom of God. Humanly speaking, most people are not comfortable with people who are arrogant and self-centered but will be more comfortable with anyone who is humble and selfless.
The assertion of Jesus Christ in today’s gospel reading is an invitation to all of us as children of God. Let us accept this wonderful invitation presented to us today and see how much impact we will have on the lives of all those who encounter us. It is never too late to make the right decision today, by accepting the invitation of Christ. It is also important to note that the assertion of Jesus, is encouraging is to also learn to be faithful in our human relationships and in all that we do. Faithfulness is an attribute that is needed in the life of anyone who embraces the way of Christ; remember, faithfulness is God. We are all encouraged to imbibe all these wonderful attributes in our lives and see how effective and efficient our witnessing for Christ will be at the end.
Dearly beloved in Christ, 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.