Our True Worth

December 16, 2024 Monday of the Third Week of Advent
Daily Readings: Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a; Matthew 21:23-27

When I was a young instructor, a senior professor approached me and questioned what credentials I had to be teaching English subjects, considering I was not an English major. I smiled at her and invited her to sit in my classes so she could see my credentials. She was silenced.

In today’s Gospel, the chief priests and the elders also questioned Jesus' authority, not out of a concern for the truth, but because of their arrogance and vested interests.

We see much of this happening in our society. We place so much importance on paper credentials and titles. We scramble to entertain and provide the best accommodations and meals to those with positions but struggle to share a piece of bread with the ordinary person at our door. We look up to and prioritize those who dress well, have letters before and after their names, or hold honorable titles, often at the expense of those who have none.

Today, we are reminded that our authority, our credentials, or our real value do not come from the world— not from paper credentials, not from the degrees and titles we earn, not from our positions, not from the clothes and accessories we wear, and not from the associations we keep with those we deem to have authority.

Our real authority, our true worth and value, comes only from the Father, who is the source of all that we have. Without a connection to the Father, we are nothing.

A Call to Action for Catholic Living: Let us remember that true authority and value come from our connection to the Father, not from titles or worldly status. May we live humbly, recognizing our worth in His eyes.