To Humble Yourself...Di Road to Greatness

August 21, 2021
Saturday for di Twentieth Week for Ordinary Time
Readings for Today

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“The person wey great pass among una must be una servant. Anybody wey raise imself up, dem go bring am low; but anybody wey humble imself, dem go raise am up.” Matthew 23:11–12

If you wan plan di best future wey you fit get for yourself, how e go be? Imagine say money or resources no limit you. Imagine say you fit choose to do anything wey you want, go anywhere wey you want, and enjoy any activity wey you want. Imagine di greatest experience wey you fit ever get. Wetin e go be? Most people go begin tink at once about how dem go enjoy all di sweetest pleasures wey person fit imagine. Life for di most luxurious places to stay, with di best food, di finest places to look at, and all di rest and enjoyment wey person fit get. But na that one go truly be di “best future for yourself”?

Di Gospel passage above make am clear well-well. Na for service to others person dey find greatness. Na only through humility person fit receive exaltation. Na life wey full of self-indulgence, entertainment, luxury and things like that be di best life? No, no be so at all. Di best life, di greatest life, di life wey receive di highest exaltation, na life of serving others with all di humility wey person fit get. Na di main thing wey Jesus dey tell us for this passage be that. You believe am?

Notice say Jesus use di words “greatest” and “must” for di same sentence. These two words no leave room for doubt. Nobody great pass di person wey be di “greatest,” and di road to that greatness require, without any exception, say di greatest person must be servant to everybody else. For plenty ways, this truth dey go against how most people understand greatness. Most times, if people see somebody as “great,” dem go serve di person and give am honour and respect wey dem no dey give most people. For example, if you invite one very important person come your house for evening food, you go most likely attend to di person and serve am. Of course, service for this matter mean far more than serving people for table or giving dem food. Even though that one na blessed way to serve others and show love, wetin Jesus mean by service pass that one by far. How we fit serve like person wey truly great? Na especially by humbling ourselves. Humility na di greatest kind of service wey we fit offer another person.

Without any doubt, Jesus na di person wey humble pass everybody wey don ever live. Na only His mother share perfectly for this holy virtue. Humility dey help person break free from every desire to put only imself first, and turn im love towards wetin go do another person good. Jesus first do this one when He become human being for di womb of His dear mother. Di Eternal Son of God no become man because e go somehow benefit Him for selfish way. He do am because He love us, and His Incarnation benefit us. Di Son of God no allow others mock Him, laugh Him to shame and finally murder Him because e go somehow benefit Him. He do am so that He fit enter death and destroy am, so that we fit rise with Him. He do am for us. And we fit go through every passage for di Gospels and see say everything wey Jesus do, He do am for others, and He no ever do anything because of selfish desire. This service wey our Lord dey offer every day by giving Himself na fruit of di wonderful humility wey He live with. Jesus do everything wey He do because of His love for others, and with humility, so that He go bring salvation and transformation to their souls wey go live forever.

For our lives, we need to make one choice wey go shape everything. I go live for myself? Or I go live for others? E be like say na very few people dey live fully for others. E hard to stop to focus on ourselves and focus only on wetin go do others good. But if we understand say to live for others na also di road to our own greatness and di exaltation wey we go finally receive, then e go become much easier. To serve others, especially for spiritual way wey you dey do everything wey you fit do to help dem draw closer to God, na wetin go make you great. Nothing else fit do am. Believe am and live by am.

Today, tink deep about life of true greatness. Tink especially about how you fit live that kind life. How you fit serve others more fully? How you fit make their holiness your main goal? How you fit help others grow for their love for God? Humble yourself and turn your attention from yourself to others. If you do so, e go make difference wey go last forever for others and for yourself too.

My Lord wey dey exalted, You dey exalted far above everybody else. You be Greatness Itself. Di life wey You live, dear Lord, na life of di deepest humility. But na through this humility You bring salvation to di world. Help me follow di example of Your greatness by making service to others di main mission for my life. I love You, my Lord. Make I love and serve others together with You. Jesus, na You I trust.

More Reflections on the Gospel

Reflection Dem about God im Mercy

Meditations on Scripture for Ordinary Time

All Saints/Feasts

Saint for Today – Saint Pius X, Pope

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Picha wey dey above: Jesus Dey Wash Peter Im Leg, wey Ford Madox Brown draw, from Wikimedia Commons

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