Daily Gospel Reflection for November 3, 2018

Today's Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-11 This gospel spoke one word to me: pride. Jesus was telling the people to take the lowest seat at a banquet, not the seats of honor, and perhaps by humbling themselves, the host would invite them to move up. But that isn’t the way we humans work most often. We like to ‘sit at a table with honor.’ It’s way harder to be humble in a culture that promotes pride as a virtue and humility as a vice. I find as a mother, the art of humility is bestowed upon me quite frequently. There are no better moments to practice curbing my pride than taking toddlers to Mass, the grocery store, or any other public place where others have full sight of me and my brood. How many times have I had to scoop an unsuspecting toddler up just before they make it to the altar steps and leave with him screaming to all the congregation, “Don’t spank me, mommy, don’t spank me!” Or at the grocery store, the four-year-old is crying because for the umpteenth time I will NOT buy a bag of M&Ms for her, and the older lady walks by, scolds my child for being so loud, causing a fresh eruption of screams and wails... All too often I find myself retreating home, licking my wounds and pounding my fist at God telling Him I’m tired of looking like a fool! My pride is strong. But my God is stronger. He gently nudges me back into my world with my precious gifts and shows me I’m exactly where I need to be: teaching these sweet babies the virtue of humility. Every day. One day, I pray, the Lord might invite me to a higher position. I hope I am ready when He does.

Ponder:

We often pray for more patience. But how often do we pray for more humility? Try asking God to show you how to be more humble in an area in your life where pride might be holding you back from being the best version of you.

Pray:

My dear Jesus, You give us so much of Yourself time and time again, and sometimes the smallest little inconvenience sends us in a tailspin. Help me to see the areas in my life where I need to be less prideful, where I need to move to the lower seat, in order to glorify You.

Copyright 2018 Amy Blair I'm the wife to superman, mom of 8 here on earth, and southern gal living in the snowy north. I love to read, exercise, and drive my kids all over the planet. I'm also the co-chair of Catholic Women of Buffalo, Inc. Receive CatholicMom.com newsletters in your inbox, including the Daily Gospel Reflection each morning! * indicates required