Our class was the last in our archdiocese to have the opportunity to study for three months in Jerusalem. As you know from being in a family, differences can be intensified when living in close proximity to one
another. And that's exactly what happened in our case. As we traveled together and lived in close quarters in Jerusalem, our differences became magnified and intensified. It was sad that we moved apart, and there's been
a distance between us since then, as well. So I decided to invite him to dinner with me.
After dinner, I took some time to apologize; telling him that at times I had acted like a jerk (though that's not exactly the word I used, but it will do for the homily). I told him that I had talked behind his back to other classmates, and sometimes purposely took the opposite viewpoint as his during conversations among our group. I told him that recently I had felt it on my heart that I needed to apologize. He responded. And his response was quite surprising, and certainly not what I was expecting to hear.
He said that he too, had felt recently that he needed to apologize. That at times in the seminary in Jerusalem he had acted self-righteously, thinking that he knew more than his professors and his classmates who just didn't get
it. In the past five years, he said, God had moved him to become more like me and other classmates. I said I felt God had moved me to become more like him! Our shared response to this profound occasion was one of gratitude for
the Spirit moving us to this place and gratitude to God for working in our lives to effect growth. But the really overriding emotion was one of humility. Being humbled by God so that we could recognize our faults, but
also so that we could recognize the gifts and strengths in the other person. Actually, the pride that was at the heart of both of our motivation and reacting to each other had become gratitude and humility in the face of God's power and goodness.
My friends in Christ, today the scriptures present clearly the importance and need for the virtue of humility among Christians. Humility is indispensable to holiness and fullness of Christian life, and yet is such a difficult virtue to both attain and maintain in our lives. The first reading today is from Sirach, chapter 3 verses 17 - 18, 20, 28 -29. "My child, conduct your affairs with humility and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God. What is too sublime for you, seek not. The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise. Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins." We are reminded that we need to be listening. Listening to God, and to each other.
Then, in the Gospel - Luke, Chapter 14, verses 1, and 7 - 14 we hear not exaltation, but a humble submission to God. Like "downward mobility". Christianity is a radical model in our society. It is very different from what society tends to praise. Society tells us we should always be able to justify our actions. It praises winning, wealth, and being seen as right all the time. All of that is the opposite of how we are told to live our lives in our gospel.
Sometimes we can learn of something by talking about what it is not. So, let's talk about what humility isn't.
Humility is not equated with being 'mamby pamby' or weak. It isn't allowing oneself to be walked over like a doormat. When we look at Peter and Paul, we see that they were strong disciples and at times acted boldly in service
of the gospel. We too, are sometimes called to act boldly, taking our strength from God and humbling ourselves to his will. Peter and Paul were strong, but humble. Yet, in the New Testament, we see glimpses of their pride, too. Pride is the opposite of humility. In his pride, Peter doesn't want to allow Christ to wash his feel. Paul was famous for persecuting the church. What is that, if not pride? He thought he knew better than Christ about how one should live, at least until he got on that road to Damascus. Humility can be mistaken for something called "false humility". Here in the Upper Midwest, we are sort of famous for that. We feign humility when we are complimented. We say, "Oh, no. Not me, it was nothing." Some of us are unable to receive compliments, so we feign humility as a way of
manipulation or control. What if we simply said "thank you" instead? And recognized that we were being complimented on something that was in fact a gift from God. "You're smart". What is that but a compliment of a gift
that came from God. Should we deny that gift? You see, false humility is prideful.
Pride is the root of all sin. It's the opposite of listening. It's putting ourselves above others, and above the Lord. With pride, we deny our dependence on God. When I think of times that I have acted with pride, I think of days that were not so good. Some of you have been the recipients of that pride. When I think of times that I have acted with humility, I think of days that were good. I think of days that I learned. Building our new church I have learned from so many people who received gifts from God that I didn't get. And, as I look back on those days, I realize that the
days when I acted with humility were days that began with prayer and scripture. We need to make time for prayer - being close to God by listening to his Word, as well. We must have a childlike dependence on God for all our needs, placing ourselves completely in God's arms. So what, then, is humility? We believe all the saints possessed it, or it
possessed them. And we yearn for it. Humility is, I think, in its essence the recognition of who we are before God. That God is Lord and that we are called to obey God's will. It's the recognition that God is Creator and we are created. Jesus is Redeemer and we are redeemed. Humility is the realization of the power of God in the world and in our lives.
One of the ways that humility is manifested is by realizing that all of our gifts come from God. Any talents we have are not of our own making, but gifts given to be placed in the service of one another. Humility is selfless service without condition or promise of benefit. Humility is also manifested in recognizing our limitations and in recognizing the gifts given to another, which may be different than our own. My friends in Christ, we have the opportunity to practice humility in this very time and place by our humble recognition of the power and beauty and dignity of this Eucharistic feat and its potential to transform our very lives and our world.
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