He emptied himself!

Philippians 2:6-11

Jesus Christ’s state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death,

death on a cross. But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names so that all beings

in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Food for thought!

In today's readings, every word is important; every word is carefully chosen to show two things, the reality of the manhood and the reality of the godhead of Jesus Christ; the humanity of Jesus and the divinity of Jesus; to show Jesus the man and to show Jesus the God. We are told that though he was in the form God, Jesus voluntarily laid aside His divine prerogatives; he emptied himself, he voluntarily gave away, he did not cling to his richness, but gave it away, so that we may be enriched by his riches. He gave so that we may get, he humbled himself so that we may be exalted, he died that we may live.

So, today we begin a week of giving; about emptying oneself for others, like Jesus did: "Jesus Christ’s state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself." In the gospel read just before the procession, we have another act of giving. What different story would we be telling today if the unnamed owners of the donkey had refused to give it up? Maybe we would have no story of the triumphal entry, at least not in the way Jesus wanted it. 

No matter how unknown a person is, he or she can still play a crucial role in the unfolding of God's plan. The Lord needs each one of us as he needed Jesus and the unnamed owners of the donkey in the reading. We are not told who these owners of the donkey are but the fact that they understood that "the Lord" refers to Jesus and voluntarily gave up the donkey, shows that they could have been his secret disciples or admirers. Otherwise one would have expected them to answer, "But who is this Lord who needs my donkey?"

A donkey was a very big thing in those days. The donkey was the equivalent of a car, a truck and a tractor all in one. It was a car because people used it to move around and do their shopping; a truck because it was used to carry load; and a tractor because it was used in cultivating the land. Add to this the fact that the donkey had never been ridden, that means it was brand new and had a very high market value. You can see that giving up the donkey just because the Lord needed it was a very big sacrifice. It was a generous and heroic act of faith.

Did you know that each of us has got a donkey that the Lord needs? Here is some one's reflection on using our donkey for the service of the Lord:

Sometimes I get the impression that God wants me to give him something and sometimes I don't give it because I don't know for sure, and then I feel bad because I've missed my chance. Other times I know he wants something but I don't give it because I'm too selfish. And other times, too few times, I hear him and I obey him and feel honoured that a gift of mine would be used to carry Jesus to another place. And still other times I wonder if my little deeds today will make a difference in the long haul.

Maybe you have those feelings, too. All of us have a donkey. You and I each has something in our lives, which, if given back to God, could, like the donkey, move Jesus and his story further down the road. Maybe you can sing or hug or program a computer or write a check, or encourage your son to become a priest. You remember Mat 25:35-36?

I was hungry and you fed me,

I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,

I was homeless and you gave me a room,

I was shivering and you gave me clothes,

I was sick and you stopped to visit,

I was in prison and you came to me. '

Mat 25:40

Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me-- you did it to me.'

Whichever, that's your donkey. So, what is the name of your donkey? The Lord has need of it.