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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus Christ’s state was divine,

yet He did not cling

to His equality with God

but emptied Himself

to assume the condition of a slave

and became as men are;

and being as all men are,

He was humbler yet,

even to accepting death,

death on a cross.

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But God raised Him high

and gave Him the name

which is above all other names

so that all beings

in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,

should bend the knee at the name of Jesus

and that every tongue should acclaim

Jesus Christ as Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

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– Philippians 2:6-11 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Our Lord offers us a perfect example of humility

– He is a model for us to follow.

Jesus shows us the way Christian virtues should be practised

– He is the way!

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Jesus humbles Himself by becoming man,

then His humility brought Him to the extreme

where, as man, He obediently accepted death on the cross.

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Jesus’ death on the cross is the supreme example of humility.

Christ’s humiliation lay not in His becoming a man like us

and cloaking the glory of His divinity in His sacred humanity:

it also brought Him to lead a life of sacrifice and suffering

which reached its climax on the cross,

where He was stripped of everything He had, like a slave.

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However, now that He has fulfilled His mission,

He is made manifest again,

clothed in all the glory that befits His divine nature

and which His human nature has merited.

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We should learn from Jesus.

United to Him, we will be drawn to imitate His life of dedication,

His unlimited love

and His sacrifice unto death.

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PRAYER…

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Jesus, my Lord,

I so want to be like You.

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Help me die to myself

and be born to a new life.

Help me obey Your will

and accept and carry my cross

with humility and unselfishness

so that I may one day join You

and live forever in Your glory.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, I so want to be like You.

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YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

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[…] Following Christ and united with Him,

Christians can strive to be "imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love" (Eph 5:12)

by conforming their thoughts, words and actions to the "mind…which is yours in Christ Jesus," (Phil 2:5)

and by following His example.

[CCC 1694]

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