Zeph
2:3, 3:12-13; I Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12a
There was a
touching incident in the career of Professor Stuart Blackie of the
University of Edinburg. Many years ago, once he was listening to his students
as they presented oral readings. When one young man rose to begin his
recitation, he held his book in the left hand. The professor thundered, “Take
your book in your right hand, and be seated!”
At this harsh
rebuke, the student held up his right arm. He did not have the right hand! The
other students shifted uneasily in their chairs. For a moment, the professor
hesitated. Then he made his way to the student, put his arm around him, and
said, “I never knew about it. Please, will you forgive me?” Professor Stuart
Blackie was so humble that he was able to realize his mistake, accept it and
apologize for it. Humility is a virtue rarely prized by our society today.
Power, appearance, and finances are too often cantered around oneself. In
contrast, humility minimizes self-focus. A humble person is neither arrogant
nor selfish. But he regularly seeks to praise, honour, and serve others.
Therefore, the lifestyle of a modest person is richly saturated in compassion,
encouragement and integrity.
Today’s First
Reading from the Book of Zephaniah
suggests that if the humble seek to obey the commands of the Lord,
seeking righteousness and humility, on the Day of Judgment, they will be hidden
from the wrath of the Lord because of their simplicity, humility and
righteousness.
We have prided
ourselves to live in a society of educated, sophisticated and modern people.
However, it does not justify our rudeness, our unforgiving attitude, or our
self-serving personality. Humility is a virtue that needed to be rediscovered
in our lives. It needs to be cultivated if we desire to live peacefully and in
accord with our community.
Humble people
maintain a personal relationship with the God, submitting themselves to His
Divine Will. This opposes the rich and the proud who do not have time for their
Creator. Their fame, social life, wealth, pleasures take up their time. So,
Jesus taught:
“Blessed are the
poor in spirit,
For they shall
inherit the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are the
meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
The second
reading also emphasizes that God chose what is foolish in the world to shame
the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. We can find
many examples in nature for it. Poets have praised lavishly the song of birds.
But it is strange that all the song birds are small creatures. We have never
heard an eagle sing. Poets have never sung of the song of a turkey. Children have never followed the song of an
ostrich. But, poets have immortalized the song of a cuckoo. Lines have been
written about the song of the nightingale. The canary has found its place in
literature. The lurk has been a constant theme for poetry. Many small and insignificant things in nature
reflect beauty in its fullness. Sweetness of human existence comes from people
who are small in their own estimation. When we humble ourselves God will make
us His instruments. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but
gives grace to the humble."(James 4:6). Proverbs teaches “When pride
comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom,” (Proverbs 11:2)
and St Peter wrote to the early Christians" Humble yourselves, therefore,
under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (1Peter 5:2-6)A
certain French Marquis was raised to his grand and exalted state from very humble
surroundings. He had been a shepherd in his earlier days & so, in his
palace, he had one room known as "The Shepherd's Room". In that room
were reproductions of hills, valleys, running streams, rocks and sheepfolds.
Here were the staff he had carried and the clothes he had worn as a lad when
herding his sheep. When asked one day the meaning of this, he replied, "If
ever my heart is tempted to haughtiness and pride, I go into that room and
remind myself of what I once was."
A pompous,
inflated Congressman once remarked to Horace Greeley: (Horace Greeley was a
political reformer and newspaper editor) "I am a self-made man." To
which Greeley replied, "Well, Sir, that relieves the Almighty of a great
responsibility." When pride comes there is no place for God. A person
becomes filled with himself, his achievements, his abilities and his ambitions.
Pride not only withdraws the heart from God, but lifts it up against God.
Humility helps us to realize our strengths and weaknesses.
There is an
interesting fable in Aesop’s fables.
A Bull was
bitten by a Mouse and, angered by the wound, he tried to capture mouse. But the
mouse reached his hole in safety. Though the Bull dug into the walls with his
horns, he got tired before he could rout out the Mouse, and crouching down,
went to sleep outside the hole. The Mouse peeped out, crept furtively up his
flank, and again biting him, retreated to his hole. The Bull rising up, and not
knowing what to do, was sadly perplexed. At which the Mouse said, "The
great do not always prevail. There are times when the small and lowly are the
strongest and are able to prevail!"
Blessed are the
poor for they shall inherit the Kingdom of God. Yes, in the end, the humble and
low shall be exalted while the mighty and the proud shall be brought down.
Humility was a
virtue extolled by Saint Francis of Assisi, and this form of Franciscan piety
led to the artistic development of the Madonna of humility first used by them
for contemplation. The Virgin of humility sits on the ground, or upon a low
cushion, unlike the Enthroned Madonna representations. This style of painting
spread quickly through Italy and by 1375 examples began to appear in Spain,
France and Germany and it became the most popular among the styles of the early
Trecento artistic period.
When Jesus
noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them a
parable: "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the
place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been
invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you,
'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least
important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when
your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then
you will be honoured in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone
who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be
exalted."(Luke 14:7-11)
Being humble is
a powerful trait. Humble people see things for what they are. They do not
judge, as they do not wish to be judged. The humility that Jesus demanded from
his disciples was exemplified in his life, and it culminated at the last
supper, when he washed the feet of His disciples.
Today, through
the beatitudes Jesus invites us to cultivate the virtues of poverty and
humility that they may help us to return to the Promised Land, the Kingdom of
God. Hence, we should always remember the words of Jesus:
“Blessed are the
poor in spirit,
For they shall
inherit the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are the
meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”