Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Tuesday,
4 March 2014 - Catholic Meditations
Meditations: Mark 10: 28 Peter began to tell him, “Behold,
we have left all, and have followed you.”
29 Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell
you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or
mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the
Good News, 30 but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time,
houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecutions; and
in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last; and
the last first.”
Saint Casimir
Many that are first will be last, and the
last will be first. (Mark 10:31)
Do you ever fish for compliments? When we
have done something really admirable or we have an ability that we’re really
proud of, it can be tempting to draw attention to it. Even when we fight the
temptation, we can promote ourselves in our own minds, imagining the
compliments we would like to receive.
After Jesus announced how difficult it is
for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God in today’s Gospel reading, Peter
piped up with some compliment fishing of his own: “We have given up everything
and followed you” (Mark 10:28). It’s as if he were saying, “Give us some credit
here!” But Jesus cut him off, maybe in an effort to save Peter from
embarrassing himself. Yes, you have done well, he said, and you will be
rewarded.
But then Jesus spoke a simple sentence,
easy to repeat, easy even to understand, but hard to take in fully: “Many that
are first will be last, and the last will be first” (Mark 10:31). Peter had
learned the way of the gospel as far as giving up everything to follow the
Lord. But he had not yet learned that Jesus calls us to give up even our desire
to achieve, our striving to be first. He calls us, in fact, to follow him all
the way to the cross.
As we stand on the cusp of Lent, let’s
keep this verse in mind. God is calling you to free yourself from the world and
your fallen nature a little bit more. He is calling you to devote yourself to
him and his kingdom a little more. But it’s easy to become proud of your Lenten
observances and, like Peter, want to promote yourself.
You don’t have to argue your case before
God! He sees everything you do for him, and he delights in all of it—even the
smallest act of self-giving. He loves you. He wants to draw you close to
himself. He rejoices in everything you do that brings you one step closer to him.
So stop trying to put yourself forward. Rather, imitate him by preferring the
back of the line. Don’t worry; he’ll find you. And when he does, he will usher
you right into his kingdom!
“Lord, draw me to yourself more
completely during this season; help there to be more of you and less of me.”
Amen!
1 Peter 1: 10 Concerning this salvation,
the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that
would come to you, 11 searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of
Christ, which was in them, pointed to, when he predicted the sufferings of
Christ, and the glories that would follow them. 12 To them it was revealed,
that not to themselves, but to you, they ministered these things, which now
have been announced to you through those who preached the Good News to you by
the Holy Spirit sent out from heaven; which things angels desire to look into.
13 Therefore prepare your minds for
action,[a] be sober, and set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought
to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ— 14 as children of obedience, not
conforming yourselves according to your former lusts as in your ignorance, 15
but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of
your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy; for I am holy.”[b]
Footnotes:
a. 1 Peter 1:13 literally, “gird up the
waist of your mind” or “put on the belt of the waist of your mind”
b. 1 Peter 1:16 Leviticus 11:44-45
Psalm 98:
A Psalm.
1 Sing to Yahweh a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand, and his holy arm, have worked salvation for him.
2 Yahweh has made known his salvation.
He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his loving kindness
and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to Yahweh, all the
earth!
Burst out and sing for joy, yes, sing praises!
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