August 23, 2025

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“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (From today’s Gospel reading)

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Good News Reflection for:

Saturday of the 20th Week of Ordinary Time
August 23, 2025

Today’s Readings:

Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
Psalm 128:1-5
Matthew 23:1-12
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082325.cfm
Podcast:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-august-23-2025

Why God exalts us although we don’t deserve it

Do you ever wonder why God exalts us although we don’t deserve it?

My dad had a favorite memory about my childhood, which he often retold. It was the day I became old enough to notice the man who was preaching up front in church. I stood up on the pew, pointed and exclaimed, “That’s my daddy!”

My dad was the pastor of a Protestant congregation. He beamed with pride at his little girl’s pronouncement, even though I had interrupted his sermon.

Unknowingly, I had preached my own sermon that day with those three simple words. As Abba-Father’s children, we have good reason to exclaim every single day, “That’s my Daddy!” (Excerpted my book, The Father’s Heart: tothefathersheart.com/chapters/day-3-the-name-of-abba-like-no-other-name.)

When we exalt our Divine Daddy, he exalts us.

True faith helps us see ourselves the way God sees us — to exalt with him when he exalts over us, and to gladly change when he shows us what needs to change.

For many of us, it’s difficult to see ourselves as exalted by God. We know we are far from perfect, we are not holy “enough”. But God wants us to know that when we gladly desire to change from unholy ways to his ways, we are humbling ourselves. And he praises us for it. This is why God exalts us although we don’t deserve it: he loves us. 

However, if we think of ourselves as deserving to be punished even after we repent and receive God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession, we’ve forgotten what Jesus accomplished on the Cross. This train of thought is actually from the Devil. Satan is the Accuser, not God. Satan wants us to feel so bad about ourselves that we believe God can’t or won’t be gentle with us. Satan does not want us realize that God is, in truth, a loving Father who bends down into our sinful messes to pick us up and cradle us gently next to his heart.

Our Father’s heart goes out to everyone who genuinely wants to be lifted from sin. When he sees his child reaching up to him to be pulled out of her messes, of course he bends down to pick her up!

Then we can tell others with delight: “That’s my Daddy!”

© 2025 by Terry A. Modica

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