Self Evaluation-SERMON/HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 11TH SEPTEMBER 2023

 Self Evaluation-SERMON/HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 11TH SEPTEMBER 2023

Col.1:24-2:3; Ps.62; Luke 6:6-11

Self Evaluation

Back then in primary and secondary, we were always advised not to hate any teacher because if we do, we will not be well disposed to learning from him or her; at the long run, we will be the losers. This candid advice is not only valid within the four walls of the classroom. It is a general principle. We cannot learn from who or what we are not opened to.

Since last week, we have seen the Scribes and Pharisees looking for faults to pull Jesus down. Jesus always turns every trap they set for him to an opportunity to teach them. Yet, because their minds were closed, they were not learning. Today again, they watched out to see if Jesus will heal, on a Sabbath, the man whose right hand was withered. Being God, Jesus could read the hearts of men and so he knew that their presence in the synagogue was not to listen and learn from Him but to seek his down fall.

We are not always privileged to know what people think about us. It has become very easy and common too for people to cheer us even when they are not at home with us. Some others will tend to ridicule what we do not because our actions are wrong per se, but because they cannot do same. In the final analysis, the cheers or ridicule of the crowds does not always constitute a reliable ingredient for evaluating our performance.

In the first reading, St. Paul seems to have this in mind. He testified of his evangelization strides amongst the people not relying on what they say but on what he has suffered. He was not boasting; he was simply giving account of his stewardship. The sacrifices he had made beared him witness that he has done his best. Since he was committed to refuting errors and teaching the wisdom of Christ, and not that of the world, the cheers of the crowd may not be loud.

We all need this attitude of St. Paul. There are some good we do, people praise us, but we do them for ulterior motives. On the other hand, there are some selfless services we render, some go unrecognized, while for others, we are accused of having ulterior motives. Beloved, the first evaluator of your deeds is your conscience. Forget the crowd! They could be wrong even in their large numbers.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta tells us that even our greatest good can be hijacked. Nevertheless, we will keep doing good because in the final analysis, it is going to be between us and God. If you are sincerely doing your best, let nothing discourage you. If you are playing smart, do not be deceived by the cheers of the crowds; it fades too quickly.