Ezek 28:1-10/Deut 32:26-28,30,35-36/Matt 19:23-30.
Reflection:
(By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu,SVD(Catholic Bishop of Ho,Ghana)
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The First Reading is better understood by reading what the prophet Ezekiel had told Tyre already in Ezek 26-27.
The present passage seems to be only the final divine assault on the city.
What is striking in the passage is the characterisation of Tyre or her rulers.
The accumulation of wealth through commercial activities brought splendour to Tyre.
With this came an arrogant pride of its rulers who began to think they were gods.
While it is true that at times, Ancient Near Eastern religions saw their rulers as the embodiment of the gods, there was the caution for kings not to pride themselves in this thought.
The arrogance of the ruler of Tyre was met with divine accusation.
God rebuked the king for thinking he was a god although he was mere man.
The divine judgment is a warning to us not to build up too much confidence in material power and end up taking pride in what is vain.
Power, we must always remember comes from God and not from human persons.
We may seem powerful today because God has granted us power to rule or govern in his name but we should know that we are only instruments in the hands of God.
We should give all glory to him and not to ourselves because once he takes his favour away from us, we return to nothing.
The temptation is to inquire about what will be our reward if we continue to offer all we are and have to God instead of taking pride in our achievements.
That was the question of Peter to Jesus in the Gospel Reading.
The answer of Jesus assures us that our faithfulness to the Lord will always be rewarded.
The difficulty is to constantly say that the glory is not to us but to the Lord who makes us what we are.
The life example of Jesus himself is there to guide us.
Paul tells us that though Jesus was in the form of God he did not count equality with God something to cling to.
Instead he humbled himself and became obedient unto death.
We are invited to imitate Jesus in his humility and obedience and our reward will be great in the kingdom of God.Amen.
