Pride and humility, these are the contrasting themes found in the scripture today.
The passage from the book of Sirach deals with the interior attitude that we should have, one of humility. If we attempt to reach for things beyond our grasp, we will surely feel frustration! If we are arrogant and place ourselves above others, then we will be very lonely.
If we want the respect of others, we need to have a spirit of simplicity and humility.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a simple example of humility. We should not try elevating our own self-importance. But it says so much more. It invites us to do some serious thinking about our own selves and to consider if we are becoming so busy with things of earth that our priority is no longer the things of heaven.
Often we become like the Pharisees that Jesus had to deal with during His time here on earth. We make our own rules as to what is required of us to achieve eternal life. Often, we elevate our selves by putting down others. i.e. We say “At least I go to Mass every Sunday! This could lead us to a place where we will not be recognized as a follower of Jesus.
Let us ask for the grace to put Jesus and His teachings first in our lives.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says:
“Those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.” Luke 14:11
This raises a question. What does it mean to be humble?
Does it mean to put our selves down? Does it mean to think little of our selves? Does it mean to deny our true worth or to belittle it?
Not at all! Humility is something far more positive and far more beautiful than that.
Humility isn’t any of these.
Quite the contrary, it is not thinking about our selves at all.
Humility is living as Jesus lived—with focus on others. It is imitating Jesus, who said “The Son of Man did not come to be served, he came to serve.” Mark 10:45
In Matthew, Jesus says “Learn from me because I am gentle and humble in spirit.”
It is the living beauty of the virtue of humility when it is lived out courageously in a truly Christian life.
It is a living example of the invitation that Jesus holds out to each one of us here today.
So, humility is not putting our selves down. It is not thinking little of our selves. It is not denying our self-worth. Rather, it is about not thinking of our selves at all.
It is simply imitating Jesus in all that we do!
As we prepare to celebrate the liturgy of the Eucharist, you might reflect on those beautiful words at the beginning of today’s first reading:
“My sons and daughters, be humble in everything you do, and people will appreciate it more than gifts…Then the Lord will pleased with you.” Sirach 3:17-18
Today’s readings speak about humility. This is the virtue we all struggle to obtain because it is the opposite of the fundamental flaw of human beings, pride. We have to make war on that which mankind has been doing since Adam and Eve decided that they really didn’t need to have God in their lives. That is difficult. We are continually thinking about ourselves, and the particular status we should have in our families, at work, at school, in the neighborhood, etc. We forget that we are nothing without God, and everything only because of God.
“You have been told, O Man what is good and what the Lord requires of you: only to do right, to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
Perhaps sometimes, we feel, “I am not good enough.” We are right, and we are wrong. By ourselves, we are never good enough. But the Lord makes us good enough. So, we work humbly with our God.
So where do you belong at the banquet table? Where should you sit? You belong where the Lord places you. You sit where He tells you to sit. We cannot be concerned with where others are sitting. We are only concerned with our response to the unique Grace God has given each of us. To view our selves as better or worse than others is pride. To recognize our selves as benefitting from the generous gifts of God, that is humility!