Today's Gospel Reflection

God has not rejected his people

St. Paul answers with an emphatic "NO" to their arguments that suppose that God rejects his people. God has not rejected his people, whom he had chosen beforehand. To arrive at this affirmation, Paul presents himself as an example to demonstrate that God has not rejected his people. Defending the faithfulness of some of the chosen people, Paul does not use the term "fall" to describe the situation in which God's chosen people found themselves, but insists on their stumbling. Many have strayed from God's way, even some leaders, but there are many leaders who accepted Jesus as their Messiah and collaborated with the proclamation of the Gospel. 

After having developed this path, he leaves us with a definitive statement: "All Israel will be saved, as it is written". The fact that all Israel will be saved presents no mystery, because it refers to the prophecies of the prophets, who proclaimed in the name of God, in difficult times for the people of Israel. Hence, the restoration of Israel is the fulfillment of the prophecies announced, which will be fulfilled in fullness with Jesus, the savior of all humanity. 

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Today's Gospel invites us to be attentive. The Lord puts us on guard when looking at how people sought the first places that we do not do the same, he says that the sentence with which it ends, whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted, invites us to have what is right at the price of who we are and as this is very difficult to have it because always in our own condition inclined to pride to pride this great sin leads us to think that we are better than others. 

Anyone who elevates himself, anyone who puts himself in a place that does not really correspond to him, will end up being humiliated, will end up recognizing that he should not be there, that his place is another. He will also end up, deep down, humanly speaking, feeling ashamed. He will end up occupying a place that, in reality, he did not want. Anyone who is misplaced, who does not recognize how Jesus wants us to recognize ourselves as simple creatures, to whom everything has been given, that everything we weigh is thanks to the great gift of life and to the grace of God, who allows us to breathe every day. Anyone who does not live this way will end up out of place. 

After so many things that we have, the one who does not recognize that: will end up being humiliated. And we do not want to be humiliated, on the contrary, we want to hear from Jesus one day, that he tells us: Friend, come closer. In order for Jesus to invite us to come closer to his presence, we must be humble as he himself taught us, imitating him, because he told us: learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. 

Before beginning his public life, he lived hiddenly for so many years as an ordinary, simple man, a dull life: working by hand, obeying the will of his Father in heaven and his earthly parents. During his public life, Jesus also did not seek to attract attention. He lived poorly, he had nowhere to lay his head, he preached with simplicity to the most despised of his time. He did miracles not to be glorified, but to show his divine mission and to help the sick and all those who needed him.

Let us ask our merciful father to grant us the grace to live as Jesus taught us, to be humble. Humility is a gift from God. It is a gift that we must never tire of asking for: Jesus meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like yours. Amen.