Called to be a Servant (Mt 23:11-12) by Alice Chapman

03 Mar Called to be a Servant (Mt 23:11-12) by Alice Chapman

“The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” ~Mt 23:11-12 (full readings)
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Alice’s Reflections:  In today’s gospel Jesus has some harsh words to say about the Pharisees and scribes, warning His disciples and the crowds not to follow their example, for they didn’t practice what they preached.  In Jesus’ time, many of the religious leaders flaunted their exalted position in all sorts of public, superficial ways, and burdened the people with endless rules and regulations while failing to serve the people’s spiritual and in some cases their practical, physical needs.  Jesus makes it very clear that all of us are called to be servants to one another.  Throughout the gospels, we see many examples of Jesus healing the sick, driving out demons, and feeding the hungry.  Even though He was God and obviously had a message of salvation to bring to His people, He first showed them His great love and served their basic needs with humility.  In our efforts to bring an end to abortion, we must not lose focus on meeting the needs of abortion-minded women, right where they are.  Many of them are frightened, without financial or social resources to raise their child, or perhaps they’re feeling coerced to have an abortion.  While raising awareness of the sanctity of life and working to change laws governing access to abortion are vitally important, they are not enough if we haven’t shown Christ’s love to these women in practical ways that make it possible for them to choose life.
* Alice is a public health officer in the U.S. Air Force and is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.  She and her husband Glenn have a son, Thomas..

Faith Challenge:   Consider simple, practical ways that you can show Christ’s love to women in your community who may be considering abortion.  Support your local pregnancy resource center with financial contributions or baby supplies.  Or pick up extra groceries and donate them to your local food bank, which fills a critical gap in a family’s ability to support themselves.

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel..
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Our Prayers: Pray LIFE Runners Creed to End Abortion.  Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day:  St. Katherine Drexel
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Faith Quote:  “I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people.” ~ Nelson Mandela
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Through Christ our Lord,
Alice
Jer 29:11-13