ECCLESIASTICUS 3: 17-20, 28-29
PSALM 67: 4-7, 10-11
HEBREWS 12: 18-19, 22-24
LUKE 14: 1, 7-14
In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches about humility and hospitality. One way to understand humility is to contrast humility with its opposing sinful attitude: that of pride to highlight the significance of humility. St Augustine said that Humility is the core of all other Christian virtues. Pride on the other hand leads to many a sin.
When we look at the whole of Salvation History, in the Book of Wisdom, we are told that the reason for the fall of the Devil was envy of the human race. (Wisdom 2:24). It was pride that led to envy that led to hatred.
Contrast this with St Paul’s hymn in the letter to the Philippians about Jesus in 2:6-11:
Make your own mind about Christ Jesus. Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped. But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human being are. And being in every way like a human being, he was HUMBLER yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. And for this 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 acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
What is humility? Humility is not about beating ourselves and saying we are not good or good enough. It is not about denying the truth but is rooted in the truth of reality. If we are good at something, humility recognizes God’s blessing and give thanks to God. Humility is also a deep awareness of our limitations and shortcomings in the presence of the divine perfection, and of our sinfulness in the presence of the all-holy God.
Humility is important to our Spiritual Growth. There are many thing we do as Christian, prayer, helping the poor, serving in the parish, attending Mass. Yet without humility, these have no spiritual value for it is not One with the Spirit of God.
How humble are we? The first degree of humility is the reverence for God, who we should constantly have before our eyes.
The depth of our humility can also be seen in how we see others, how we treat others and how we respond to difficult situations. How well do we listen to others or do we always want it to be our way. Humility is always revealed in whom we choose to mix with, especially those who have little to give us back in return.
Pride takes joy in the failure of others. Humility seeks to find the good in others. Prides seeks to put others down, humility seeks to affirm others. Pride leads us to get angry with the weakness of others. Humility seeks to assist them. Pride is competitive and always comparing oneself with others, finding pleasure in being. better. Humility seeks always to support and encourage.
Humility is always ready to apologize for our failings and to forgive others of their failings. When things go wrong, pride is ready to blame others. Humility seeks a solution.
Sometimes when we refuse a request to do something because we feel we are not good enough, it may be pride not humility that controls us. The pride in us may desire to protect us for we fear looking bad, so we turn down request to get involved. Humility overcomes all fear and anxiety.
As we heard the very story of Jesus, humility is in the centre of salvation history for it is the essence of God who humbled himself to come amongst us and to die a cruel and degrading death because of love for us.
St Vincent de Paul said, “The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For as he does not know how to employ it, so neither does he know how to defend himself from it.”
Merredin Catholic Parish 