Who will catechize you?
The point that St. James makes in today’s second reading, speaks of a war going on inside of us: on the one hand, the spirit unselfishness which leads to harmony and peace, to compassion and holiness; on the other hand, the spirit of selfishness which leads to jealousies and ambitions, to squabbles, and even murder.
In the “Story of two Wolves…” an old Indian teaches his grandson about this very thing.
There was an old Indian chief sitting by a fire with his grandson telling stories.
He told the young man about the two wolves that live in every man…
He said, “One is an evil wolf, full of hate and revenge, greed and evil…
The other is a good wolf full of Love and joy and forgiveness and cares for all
mankind…
They fight a battle every day to rule the man”…
And then the old man got very quiet…
After a while the grandson said, “Well grandpa which one wins???
The Wise old chief said, “The one U feed”
It is the same with you and I my brothers and sisters. We can choose to be catechized by the teachings of Jesus Christ, or we well be catechized by the secular society we live in.
A recent survey showed that 60% of Catholics are dominated by the secular culture. We must form our children otherwise this post-Christian culture will do it for us.
We make sure that our children get to sports or other secular activities, but do we make sure that they attend religious education and other church activities, including Mass.
We should not only monitor what we watch on TV, but we should also have an idea what our children are viewing on the internet. It is believed by some that the demonic information that can be found on the internet had led to some of the violence in our schools.
My sisters and brothers, we must take control of our children’s and ourselves’ Christian formation, and place it above all else that we do…
In today’s Gospel Jesus shows where true greatness lies, not in striving to be first but in being ready to be last, not by being master but by being servant, not by following selfish instincts but by being truly unselfish. He took a small child and put his arms around him. A small child has no real power or influence; it is a symbol of those who are in need of help. Jesus continues: if you welcome those represented by a child, the little people, the poor, the marginalized, the forgotten ones, then it’s me you’re welcoming. Helping the sick, the lonely, the rejected, is the characteristic of Christ’s followers.
Jesus did not tell the apostles they could not seek greatness in his kingdom. He just showed them where true greatness was to be found. It is not to be found in being the master of others, but rather in being the servants of others, especially the weaker members of our community.
It’s easy to serve the great, because we feel honored through our association with them, and there is a chance of reward. The real test is serving the least, from which we cannot expect anything in return from them. But Jesus teaches us the rewards that we’ll receive from our Father in heaven are greater than any earthly treasure.
Jesus says, “Whoever welcomes one such child, welcomes me.” “Welcome” means loving service. “Child” stands for the weakest member of the community, who are the most needy. Service rendered to the least is best of all. As long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to me.”
Jesus set the example himself. Though he had authority from God, he never used that authority to dominate others. Instead, he used it to serve others. And that service was directed toward the poor, the sick, the maimed, the outcast… The really great people, those who are fondly remembered, are not those who seek to further themselves and their own interests, but rather those who devote themselves to furthering the interests of the community.
Service implies that we are not here for ourselves. We are here for others. In order to serve, one has to be very self giving. As servant, we have to get used to being taken for granted.
In our prayer, let us not be afraid to speak with the Lord about our lives and the direction we need to take. To walk the way of the Lord is to walk with humility, always aware of the needs of others who travel this earthly life with us.