26th Sunday - Fr. Leo
Humility is the only true foundation of a spiritual life in Christ. Our second reading from Philippians speaks to this elegantly. God humbled himself, became man, and suffered the crucifixion to bring us back to living in the Spirit of God.
As followers, this same humility is required if we are to live in God’s ways and not our own. Living in the Spirit, makes Christ’s will our own and makes us one of mind in heart. We no longer act out of vain glory, but for the glory of God.
When we have this intention, we choose the right, even if we have been doing wrong and come to live in God, we stop blaming God and others about being unfair. Our one goal is to live In God, that God may live in and through us.
This virtuous living defines the Church. It is what makes us holy and loving in God, The needs of others we put before our own to witness to them a better way of life in giving rather than stealing.
There must be wisdom in our taking on the needs of others. In love, we don’t enable other’s sins, we confront them, otherwise apathy sets in and brings us all down. For example, I read last week that a man reached in and stole the tips given at a coffee house. One person there felt an inward impulse to do something, injustice was taking place! In apathy, the other patrons just sat and watched. The barista told him to not worry about it. And maybe there was prudence in that.
However, a constant looking the other way creates chaos as we are seeing in our country and in Minneapolis with all the shootings and car jacking's. Apathy lets this happen and somehow the justice of the Gospel needs to move us all to action. Otherwise our prayers for peace are not lived out and made real.