Monday of 31st Week, Year II: reflection
Theme: Practical tips for dealing with pride and selfishness.
Reading: Phil 2:1–4
Are you struggling with controlling pride and selfishness? Do people avoid you because they see you as a proud person? Do your friendships collapse because others accuse you of selfishness? In today’s first reading, St. Paul wishes to give you a few practical recommendations that will help you if you can apply them in everything you do.
First, he says, “Don’t do anything from selfish ambition or from a desire to boast.” (vs 3a). When you desist from putting your personal interests first in everything you do and from doing anything just to receive compliments from people, you will give a dirty blow to the spirit of pride and selfishness in you.
Second: “Be humble towards one another and always consider others better than yourself.” (vs 3b). One of the problems that proud people have is that they believe they are superior to others and will do, say, or buy anything that will help them maintain their so-called “position” above others. The same is true for selfish people, who will always believe that the greatness of others will dimmish their own; thus, they would want to keep everything to themselves so that others will not share the same high level with them. However, when one begins to act with humility, which makes one to have a modest view of one’s value or importance and also opens one’s eyes to see the good in others, the spirit of pride and selfishness would be put in chains.
The last step is: “Look out for one another’s interest, not just for your own.” (vs 4). One of the things that proud and selfish people do is to always start from themselves; nothing good should go to others until they have had their fill. St. Paul suggests that to conquer this attitude, one should always work for the welfare of others as much as one’s own; in fact, one should prioritize the good interests of others over his own.
Let us put these steps into practice and free our lives of pride and selfishness.
May you have a blessed week, Amen.
Fr. Isaac Chima