“Carving our lives in humility in imitation of our Blessed Lord!”

(Based on Sir 2:1-11 and Mk 9:30-37 – Tuesday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

There is a story of a tourist who visited a particular church.

He was quite surprised to see the figure of a lamb, that had been carved near the top of the church’s tower.

On enquiring, he came to know the reason…
He was told that when the church was being built, a workman fell from a high scaffold.
His co-workers, in fear and despair, rushed down, probably expecting that their companion might have died.

But to their pleasant surprise, they found him alive, with just some minor injuries.

How did the workman survive that steep fall?

A flock of sheep was passing at that time, beneath the scaffold of the tower.
The worker, fell on the top of one of the lambs!

The lamb was crushed to death, but the man was saved!

To celebrate this miraculous escape, a carved lamb was placed on the tower at the exact height from which the workman fell!

It is not confirmed if this story is true or a legend; but one thing is for sure and certain: we need the Lamb for our survival – the Lamb of God!

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus, the Lamb of God predicting His passion and death…
… and drives home the message of the necessity of being clothed with humility and innocence, in order to achieve true greatness in life.

Jesus had a very specific purpose in coming to the world – the salvation of all.

The path chosen to realise this salvific act was the path of suffering and death, leading to glory.

Jesus was always clear in what He wanted and the aims of His Life.
And so very plainly, He forewarns His disciples, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He is killed, He will rise after three days” (Mk 9: 31)

Unlike some popular preachings, Jesus preached to the world…
…. not ordinariness or littleness; rather a “Gospel of Greatness”
…. not being satisfied with the minimum or with the least efforts; rather a “Gospel of the Maximum.”

But His understanding of “Being Great” and His way of “achieving the maximum” was unlike how the world thought.

The world views greatness in being powerful with power, wrapped in wealth, possessing positions and clothed in vain glory

The world views achieving maximum in life by means of exploitation, dishonesty, cheating and trickery

That’s the way also the disciples of Jesus thought, when they were quarrelling on the way, as to “who was the greatest” (Mk 9: 34)

But Jesus defines a “new” way of being great…
… by being little
… by being humble
… and by lowering oneself

And so He says, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be last of all and the servant of all” (Mk 9: 35)

He preaches the “Gospel of Greatness” – being great in the sight of God, by doing His will and following His commandments

He preaches the “Gospel of Maximum” – achieving one’s maximum by depending and trusting in the power of God at all times

In tune with His preaching, Jesus lived a life of immense humility, daring innocence and bold holiness!

He is the mighty Lion of Judah….
… but He humbled Himself to become the Lamb of God!

Clothed in mighty glory and rapturous splendour, He emptied Himself to live a life of sacrifice, gentleness and surrender to God’s Will!

This is true greatness…
… the higher that one wishes to become, the lower must one humble, to allow the grace of God to fill one’s life!

The book of Sirach reminds us: “Trust in Him, and He will help you; make your ways straight, and hope in Him!” (Sir 2:6)

The Lord wishes that we all become “great” in life…
… but “great” in the proper sense of the term.

The Lord desires that we all achieve the “maximum” in life..
… but “maximum” in the true sense of the term.

Let us we cherish and follow the example of our Blessed Lord in leading a life of humility and scaling the heights of true ‘greatness’ and achieving the ‘maximum’ in life.

Jesus, the Lamb of God – by His sacrificial love and total surrender has given us life and salvation, at the cost of His own life.

Shall we not reciprocate and commemorate this tremendous sacrifice…
… by “carving” our lives, in the image of “this Lamb” – being humble, committed to our cause and trusting fully in the power of God?

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION – The priesthood of the Old Covenant

The liturgy of the Church, however, sees in the priesthood of Aaron and the service of the Levites, as in the institution of the seventy elders, a prefiguring of the ordained ministry of the New Covenant. >> Thus in the Latin Rite the Church prays in the consecratory preface of the ordination of bishops: God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by your gracious word you have established the plan of your Church. From the beginning, you chose the descendants of Abraham to be your holy nation. You established rulers and priests and did not leave your sanctuary without ministers to serve you….12
At the ordination of priests, the Church prays: Lord, Holy Father, when you had appointed high priests to rule your people, you chose other men next to them in rank and dignity to be with them and to help them in their task… you extended the spirit of Moses to seventy wise men…. You shared among the sons of Aaron the fullness of their father’s power.

In the consecratory prayer for ordination of deacons, the Church confesses: Almighty God, You make the Church, Christ’s body, grow to its full stature as a new and greater temple. You enrich it with every kind of grace and perfect it with a diversity of members to serve the whole body in a wonderful pattern of unity. You established a threefold ministry of worship and service, for the glory of your name. As ministers of your tabernacle you chose the sons of Levi and gave them your blessing as their everlasting inheritance. (CCC #1541-1544)