Matthew 23,1-12

March 15, 2023 (Wednesday)
Let us all remember that we are in the Holy Presence of God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Matthew 23,1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens (hard to carry)
and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are
performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor
at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation Rabbi. As for you,
do not be called. You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you
have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called “you have but one master, the Messiah. The greatest
among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself
will be exalted.”

Reflection:
In our gospel, there are three salient points that we must reflect profoundly in our life. One is when he said “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. This kind of attitude is still common to us that is why we often hear this saying ‘walk the talk’. With this, may we be always reminded that the word is alive when it is our actions that speak. Second is, “They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation Rabbi”. This is the danger of falling into a trap of popularity, power, fortune and other forms of achievements often they called it a ‘maze haze attitude’. This simply means as people who are blinded/clouded by praises and in the end, they even lost their sense of identity and become self-righteous. Thus the 3rd point Jesus tells his disciples with these words “As for you, do not be called Rabbi. You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.” Jesus wanted to warn both his own disciples and the religious leaders about the temptation to seek honors and titles that draw attention to ourselves in place of God and his word. Pride tempts us to put ourselves first above others. The message of our gospel today teaches us to serve the people with humility and sincerity rather than with pride and self-promotion. Let our words be the living testimonies of Christ and these are humility, poverty, patience and obedience. We speak them when we show them to others.

Lasallian Guiding Principle:
LGP states that, “Avenues and opportunities for self- propelled individual, collective and institutional life affirming action to respond to varied social issues must be provided in every Lasallian institution.” As we nurture ourselves with reverence for life, LGP once again calls us to go back to the heart of the mission i.e. to recognize Jesus beneath the poor rags of the children (meditation 96.3). Hence, no matter who and what they are, we should show authentic care, love and compassion as our founder and even our Lord did during their time. They left a living example for us to contemplate and emulate in our everyday dealings. This is a constant challenge for all of us if we want to be great be the servant of all.

Prayer:
Synod on Synodality Prayer

We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us, Make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.
All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.

St. John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us.

St. Miguel Febres Cordero, pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts, forever!

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sources:
C. (n.d.). Daily Gospel. Retrieved June 22, 2020, from https://dailygospel.org/M/AM/DLSU ITS, DLSU STRATCOM, DLSU IRPA. (n.d.). Guiding Principles of the Philippine Lasallian Family.
Retrieved June 22, 2020, from http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/inside/lasallian-guiding-principles/default.asp

Prepared by Pratik, Sati D., College of Humanities and Sciences- BS Biochemistry Student, through the DLSMHSI Lasallian Mission and Linkages and Advancement, Campus Ministry, and Chaplaincy

Our Daily Lasallian Gospel, Prayer and Reflection is a DLSMHSI gift to the Lasallian family for the 2019 Celebration of the Year of Vocation and the Tercentenary celebration of the death of our founder SJBDLS.
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https://www.dlshsi.edu.ph/daily-lasallian-reflection-prayer #300LaSalle