Reflections from the Heart – November 10, 2024

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.” One of the things that challenges us most and gets in the way of the many is pride. It inflates our ego and destroys others. It gets in the way of having a real, intimate, loving, truthful and honest relationship with God and with others. Our pride would have us believe that we are the best, no one is better at whatever we do, no matter whether it be charity or sinning we have to be the best at winning, giving or wrong doing. Pride makes us think less of others, look down on all people; believe a person is less than they seem, worthless, hopeless or worse than they really are. Pride blinds reality and silences truth. It increases pride, encourages falsehood, feeds temptation, and fills our attitude. Pride causes us to think no one, including God, can do it better than us, is more perfect than we are or more deserving of the job, position, assignment, title or rank. That is what Satan believed. Pride over emphasizes everything, exaggerates everything, is an attention getter and a noisemaker. Jesus, on the other hand, shows us and lives out for us the truest meaning of humanity in meekness, kindness, reverence and humility toward God and neighbor. God certainly can boast that no one is greater, more powerful or can create from nothing. Yet God humbles himself before humanity, washes their feet, serves as a servant slave and asks for permission, waits for a response, is gentle in correction and makes us feel that nothing else matters. We are the most important person and relation in God’s eyes. Imagine a God who needs no one, including and especially you, a God who does not need a thing, especially and including all humanity, seeks our permission to love and our authority to heal. Seriously, that is how much God loves us. He truly loves us. He can do all things but prefers to ask respectfully for a cup of water to drink. To ask respectfully if he can assist you in any way, walk with you, listen to you, pray with you; provide you with directions along the everlasting way. Pride causes us to not want or seek assistance. Pride would have you believe that you are the only one who works, no one is better, you are the only one who can resolve the problem or fix the issue. Pride does not ask but demands. It does not receive but takes. That is what Satan does.