Sir. 3:17-20, 28-29; Heb. 12:18-19, 22-24a; Lk.
14:1, 7-14
We live
in a competitive world where we are all trying to find success and security,
social media is constantly telling us to broadcast the highlights of our lives,
and we receive praise from our parents and friends for an
accomplishment. We live in a culture of "me" and if you aren't willing to do whatever it takes, you're seen as not being ready for the real world.
accomplishment. We live in a culture of "me" and if you aren't willing to do whatever it takes, you're seen as not being ready for the real world.
Against
this background we have to see the message of today's readings. Today's
readings give the message of humility. Humility is one of the most
underrated virtues that we have; often people mistake humility as a weak virtue
wherein it is supposed to make you appear weak and inefficient. But for the
Biblical writers humility is a strong virtue that will leave to character
building.
Sam
Rayburn served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the United
States Congress for seventeen years. As the Speaker of the House, Sam
Rayburn wielded incredible power and prestige. He was third in the line of
succession to the presidency.
One day,
he found out that the teenage daughter of a reporter friend had tragically died.
Early the next morning, Sam Rayburn knocked on the door of his friend.
When the door opened, Rayburn asked if there was anything he could do.
His friend stammered and replied, "I don't think there is anything
you can do. We are making all the arrangements."
"Well, have you had your
coffee this morning?" Rayburn asked.
"No. We haven't had
time." said the grieving man.
"Well," the Speaker of
the House replied, "I can at least make the coffee."
As he
watched this powerful man make him coffee, the father suddenly remembered
something. "Mr. Speaker, I thought you were supposed to be having
breakfast at the White House this morning."
"Well
I was, but I called the President and told him I had a friend who was in
trouble, and I couldn't come."
Sam
Rayburn turned down breakfast with the President of the United States to make
coffee for a grieving friend. Great Humility can be exercised
by people of great power.
Today's
First Reading from the Book of Sirach teaches us that if we perform our tasks
with humility, we will be loved by those whom God accepts. 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]
First of all Humility is self-awareness. It helps a person to understand
what he is before God and before his fellow beings. Such a person will be
recognized in society, and will be respected by all. John the Baptist was the greatest
example for it. He preached, “He is the one who
comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
Jesus recognizes this humble man and pays great tribute to him. Jesus said, “I
tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John. (Lk
7:28). Jesus makes this very clear in the parable Jesus used in Today's Gospel.
Jesus said, "when you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than
you has been invited by your host; and the host who invites both of you may
come and say to you, 'Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you
would start to take the lowest place.
But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that
when your host comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will
be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who
exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be
exalted.
Humility is the mark of greatness.
One day a
sage came to a King for an interview. The sage had to wait for a long time
because the King was very busy. Finally, the King said he could come in.
When the
sage entered the hall, the first thing he did was to take off his hat and bow
to the King. Immediately the King took off his crown and bowed to the sage. The
ministers and others who were around the King asked, "What are you doing?
He took off his hat because he is an ordinary man. But you are the King. Why
should you have to take off your crown?"
The King
said to his ministers, "You fools, do you think I wish to remain inferior
to an ordinary man? He is humble and modest. His humility is a peerless
virtue'. He showed his respect to me. If I did not take off my crown, then I
would be showing less humility than an ordinary man, and I would be defeated by
him.
Gandhiji
said "The humble man is unconquerable". As we aspire for greatness practising
humility will make our progress steady and fast.
T.S.
Eliot wrote, "The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of
humility: humility is endless."
St.
Augustine wrote, "Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues
hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any
other virtue except in mere appearance." If a society is to be animated by
love rather than greed, pride, or fear, its people must learn humility.
Humility turns man away from himself and directs him toward the common good.
Humility
is the virtue that can give a solution for all the problems in our
society. The problems in the family, the issues in the society, and the
disunity in the society can be solved easily when humility comes in. Today's
message for us is that we should be humble before God, and accept what we
are. Let us drop all the pretensions and accept us as we are.
Then God will exalt us and society will honour us.
Satish