Sijo Chemmannur
Member
'Blessed are the poor in spirit.' Matthew 5:3
The classical Greek mythology teaches us the importance of being humble through the story of Arachne and Goddess Athena. Arachne was a young Greek maiden from Maeonia whose fame as a weaver spread far and wide. Although she had been born to humble parents, her skill and fame as a weaver went to her head and she often said that she was the best weaver anywhere. Her pride made her to challenge the Goddess Athena to a competition, who was the patroness of weavers. Athena came down to her disguised as an old women and advised her to abstain from competing with Goddess, but she resisted to hear. The mythology goes as the Goddess struck her and turned her into a spider. It is from this tale that the word arachnid (for spider) comes.
Being humble is an important quality and character before God. Lack of humbleness leads to selfishness and leaves a person judgmental. In Luke 18:10-14, Jesus Christ tries to depict a similar understanding through the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector. Pharisee represents the arrogance and over confidence. Rather than praying to God, he "stood and was praying to himself" (Like 18:11). This was the danger we all have to be aware and cautious. Even though he recites 'God, I thank You', his prayers were never directed to God, but to himself. Our God is a God who looks and sees our heart and not to the repetition or incantations of prayers we do. The best prayers we can possibly see is the deeds of our mothers, who work day and night and have the most loving hearts. A silent prayer from the heart is enough and always more effective than rhetoric prayers.
God wants us to love and serve others just as salt completely dissolves in water and like a swan which drinks only milk from a mixture of water. We have to know what is right and what is wrong based on the word of God, but God don't want us to be judgmental (1 Corinthians 4:5). Arrogance blinded the Pharisee and he prays " I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' (Luke 18:11-12).
Let us not be arrogant before the presence of God and keep ourselves away from the danger of being outcast from God's presence and becoming Judgmental. Are we right before God to judge others? Jesus Christ says "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. " (Matthew 7:5). Mother Theresa once said "I could see Jesus Christ in all the people I see." How beautiful will be the day when we can see Jesus Christ in others? Being abstained from arrogance is so important to be in front of God and to inherit the Kingdom of heaven. Hence Jesus Christ gave premier importance to this teaching and recites as the first sentence of the 'Sermon on the Mount'. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
The classical Greek mythology teaches us the importance of being humble through the story of Arachne and Goddess Athena. Arachne was a young Greek maiden from Maeonia whose fame as a weaver spread far and wide. Although she had been born to humble parents, her skill and fame as a weaver went to her head and she often said that she was the best weaver anywhere. Her pride made her to challenge the Goddess Athena to a competition, who was the patroness of weavers. Athena came down to her disguised as an old women and advised her to abstain from competing with Goddess, but she resisted to hear. The mythology goes as the Goddess struck her and turned her into a spider. It is from this tale that the word arachnid (for spider) comes.
Being humble is an important quality and character before God. Lack of humbleness leads to selfishness and leaves a person judgmental. In Luke 18:10-14, Jesus Christ tries to depict a similar understanding through the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector. Pharisee represents the arrogance and over confidence. Rather than praying to God, he "stood and was praying to himself" (Like 18:11). This was the danger we all have to be aware and cautious. Even though he recites 'God, I thank You', his prayers were never directed to God, but to himself. Our God is a God who looks and sees our heart and not to the repetition or incantations of prayers we do. The best prayers we can possibly see is the deeds of our mothers, who work day and night and have the most loving hearts. A silent prayer from the heart is enough and always more effective than rhetoric prayers.
God wants us to love and serve others just as salt completely dissolves in water and like a swan which drinks only milk from a mixture of water. We have to know what is right and what is wrong based on the word of God, but God don't want us to be judgmental (1 Corinthians 4:5). Arrogance blinded the Pharisee and he prays " I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' (Luke 18:11-12).
Let us not be arrogant before the presence of God and keep ourselves away from the danger of being outcast from God's presence and becoming Judgmental. Are we right before God to judge others? Jesus Christ says "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. " (Matthew 7:5). Mother Theresa once said "I could see Jesus Christ in all the people I see." How beautiful will be the day when we can see Jesus Christ in others? Being abstained from arrogance is so important to be in front of God and to inherit the Kingdom of heaven. Hence Jesus Christ gave premier importance to this teaching and recites as the first sentence of the 'Sermon on the Mount'. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."