April 21, 2016Thursday, 4th Week of Easter
1st Reading: Acts 13:13–25 Gospel: Jn 13:16–20
After Jesus had washed the feet of the disciples he said. “Truly, I say to you, the servant is not greater than his master, nor is the messenger greater than he who sent him. Understand this, and blessed are you if you put it into practice.
“I am not speaking of you all, because I know the ones I have chosen and the Scripture has to be fulfilled that says, ‘The one who shared my table has risen against me’. I tell you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may know that I am He”.
“Truly, I say to you, whoever welcomes the one I send, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the One who sent me.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life Experience)
One who is sent represents the sender. There are instances where the representative is so passionate about his role to the point that the spirit and charism of the sender stands out in him at the expense of his identity. Such happens when the representative is humble. When the representative is proud he pursues his own motives and eclipses the sender’s agenda. The proud representative will only throw the monkey wrench at the whole representation.
Peter is the representative of Christ on earth, for it was to him that Christ entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven. With so much power being handed down, consider how disastrous it would be if a proud representative gets into the chain of succession. Fortunately, what stands out in the Church is Christ, not the power of individual popes.
Underlining the importance of humility to a representative of Christ, Pope St. Gregory (590-604) used the title “Servus Servorum Dei” (Servant of the servants of God). He did this to distinguish himself from the Archbishop of Constantinople, John the Faster, who used a title of superiority “Ecumenical Patriarch” to overshadow the Bishop of Rome. The popes that succeeded Pope St. Gregory adopted the title “Servus Servorum Dei”.
Admittedly there were proud representatives that got into the chain of succession. This weakness humbles the church that has remained human albeit holy, catholic and apostolic. The good news is that the Church has always enjoyed God’s abiding presence as promised by Jesus when he said “I will be with you until the end of time” (Matthew 28:20).
But while Christ supplies what is lacking in the inadequate service of his leaders, this is no excuse for leaders to neglect the virtue of humility. The Church must renew herself periodically and weed out proud leaders that through the monkey wrench at God’s work on earth. —Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: [email protected].
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