Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030612.cfm
"They love the places of honor....The greatest among you must be your servant."
The problem with the scribes and Pharisees was they loved the respect and accolades they received from people. The problem was not with the respect and titles, per se. It was with the fact that they loved and coveted them. This turned them into rulers over the people instead of servants of the people. They were more concerned with having their egos stroked than with being channels of grace to the people.
The same is true for us who are citizens of the kingdom of God through baptism. We may have positions of authority, and because of that, we may be called by various titles. This is all good and necessary; but we must always remember that God, who is above us, has given us these positions of power so that we might serve those under us and better their lives in some way. We must never allow pride and self-love to distort our perspective.
Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, who deserves all respect and every accolade, humbly served us to the point of offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins. It is that kind of humble, self-giving love we must offer to those we serve.
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