Mark 9: 30-37

Whenever we encounter people who are so full of themselves, arrogant and in tagalog, “mayabang,” we often comment that the person is just a fly who is stepping on a carabao. Hence, the illusion of power and grandeur.

This is what Jesus wanted to warn His disciples of – the illusion of power and grandeur. Why? The disciples have been witness to the power of Christ and his many miracles. They have seen how many people followed him and wanted to be with Him. They, too, have seen His authority when He preached. Even the scribes and the Pharisees, though did not like him, respected him.

Given all these, since the apostles were His inner circle, they thought it upon themselves that the closest to Christ was the greatest.

My dear friends, when arrogance is entering into our lives, three things we remember:

1. There is nothing we can brag. We came into this world with nothing, we are leaving this world with nothing. All that we have is only lent to us. Indeed, the Lord can take away all these blessings at any time. And when these blessings have been removed, how do we now face the very people to whom we were arrogant?
2. If we pull ourselves higher, that only means we push other people lower. In the eyes of the Lord, this can be very painful. All of us are His children. We are blessed differently according to our calling. There is no point in pulling ourselves up and putting other people down.
3. Greatest in the eyes of the Lord is being a blessing to others. As a priest who has celebrated many eulogies, at the end of one’s life, people do not remember the achievements, the accomplishments and the things accumulated by a person. It all boils down to one thing – KINDNESS.

Hence, this Mass we are reminded not to grow weak or weary. Pray unceasingly. Pray unceasingly with faith.