Sir. 3:17-20, 28-9; Heb. 12:18-9, 22-24;
Lk. 14:1, 7-14
Once Ishwar
Chandra Vidyasagar was travelling to a village for one of his regular speeches.
At his station a young officer got down from the train with a suitcase.
The young
officer shouted for a coolie. Vidyasagar went to him and said, "Why do you
need a coolie to carry this small suitcase? Can’t you carry it yourself and
save the money?"
The young
officer replied, "It is not in keeping with my dignity to carry my
suitcase. I am an educated person."
Vidyasagar asked
him, “If you cannot carry your bag, shall I carry it for you." He carried
the officer’s suitcase and went behind the officer. On their way the young
officer told the porter that he had come there to listen to the speech of a
great man. When they reached the destination the young man then offered money
to his ‘porter’. Vidyasagar told him, "To serve you is my reward” and went
away.
The young
officer then proceeded to the venue of the meeting. He was stunned to see
people welcoming the ‘porter’ who carried his suitcase with garlands. He
realised that the man who had offered to carry his suitcase at the station was
none other than the respected lecturer of that evening, Ishwar Chandra
Vidyasagar. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar exemplifies the humility that today’s
readings describe. The First Reading from the Book of Sirach teaches us that
the greater we are, the more we must humble ourselves, so we will find favour
in the sight of the Lord. [Sir. 3:17-18] When Jesus taught His disciples the
meaning of true greatness, He called a child and said, "Truly I tell you,
unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of
Heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greater in the Kingdom of
Heaven." [Mt. 18:2-4]
All the great
men praised the virtue of humility. “Humility is the solid foundation of all
virtues,” taught Confucius. Benjamin Franklin was convinced that “Humility
makes great men twice honourable.” Jesus
taught his disciples to be humble like children.
A child respects
everything and wonders at the marvels around him. When others compete with one
another to be first, a child stands apart and wonders at everything. He has
nothing of his own. Everything he has is a gift from others and he takes pride
in the gifts. Great men were able to see the gifts of God, and they always
remained grateful to him. This attitude made them humble. “God descends to the humble as waters flow
down the hills into the valleys,” says St. Tikhon. God fills the humble with
his blessings. When we realize it we will be able to say like Rabindranath
Tagore:
“This frail
vessel thou emptiest again and again, and fillest it
ever with fresh life.
This little flute of a reed thou hast carried over
hills and dales,
and hast breathed through it melodies eternally new.
At the immortal touch of thy hands my little heart
loses its limits in
joy and gives birth to utterance ineffable.
Thy infinite gifts come to me only on these very
small hands of mine.
Ages pass, and still thou poorest, and still there is room to fill.”
Humility can be
practiced by doing our daily duties with dedication and commitment. St Paul
wrote to the Philippians, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in
humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to
your own interests, but to the interest of others.” We work very hard. But often what we see is
our interest. We desire to do great things, and ignore the simple duties
entrusted to us. During the American
Civil war, President Lincoln had a strapping athletic young man as his
secretary. He was not happy about his work. He wanted to get out where the
action was on the battlefield. He wanted to go and do great things for his
country. He was quite willing to die if necessary. So he kept on complaining
about the work he was doing, when he could be in uniform confronting the enemy.
After hearing the usual complaint one day, Lincoln said in his philosophical
way, “Young man as I see it, you are quite willing to die for your country, but
you are not willing to live for it.”
Humility makes
us instruments in the hands of God. It makes possible a relationship with God.
“There is no room for God in him who is full of himself, “says Martin Buber,
the Jewish philosopher. God can work through us only when we offer a chance by
keeping our pride aside. The psalmist declares,
“Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble:
thou wilt prepare their heart,
thou wilt cause
thine ear to hear. (Psalm 10:17)
Humility brings
peace to our life. Humility does not desire, therefore there is no discontent.
Humility does not boast, hence there is no depression. Humility does not dream,
hence there is no disappointment. Humility does not know competition, so there
no discouragement. Humility does not make any comparison, and there is no
regret. Following the example of Jesus
we should be able to conduct ourselves in a humble manner. Then, we will be
able to appreciate the blessings that we receive from God. Let us remember the
admonition of Jesus, “He who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted.”
Satish