Our Lady of Carter Lake Catholic Church at 3501 N. 9th Street, Carter Lake, IA 51510 US - Humility
Humility
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sirach 3:17-29; Hebrews 12:18-24; Luke 14:1-14
Dr. Richard Evans is a psychologist at the University of Houston who has developed an interesting series of films. They consist of interviews Evans did with some of the great leaders in the fields of psychology and psychiatry – people like Carl Jung, Eric Fromm, Erik Erikson, Carl Rogers, B.F. Skinner and Jean Piaget.
Surprisingly, the major thing Evans learned from these great figures was the need for humility:
What these great thinkers profess to know and their assessment of it is usually rather humble. Some people tend to oversell what psychology and psychiatry can do to help people solve their problems. This is not so with the really great personages in these fields. The really important people have a more modest view of what they have contributed, much less what the field has contributed in general.
Humility is a mark of all truly great people. The first reading from Sirach states: “Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.”
Humility is a quality Jesus himself has. In Matthew's gospel Jesus says: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart". In today's gospel from Luke he says: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The virtue of humility has fallen on hard times in our day. Books abound promoting aggressive behavior, assertive training and affirmative action. In today's marketplace humility is not what we would call the ‘in-thing’, that turns people on.
And yet humility remains at the root of the Christian life. It ranks right up there with the great gospel reversals: to lose one's life is to find it; the last shall be first; the humble shall be exalted.
The reason for this dilemma is that humility is misunderstood. The humility, which the world despises and rightly rejects, is pseudo-humility. Pseudo-humility is pretentious self -effacement and a phony denial of our gifts. It is easily seen in the award winner who mouths, “I really don't deserve this award, but...” or in the habitual drunk who says, “I'm no good,” because it gives him an excuse for not changing his ways.
By way of contrast, authentic Christian humility is an honest recognition of our true status before God.
On the one hand, humility is a joyful acceptance of our gifts, talents and abilities as coming from God. It inspires us to use these blessings for our own enrichment and for God’s glory.
On the other hand, genuine humility does not deny our human limitations and weaknesses. It enables us to make a candid admission that we are sinners, but sinners who have been forgiven and will continue to need forgiveness.
In other words, humble people can look at both the heights and the depths of their personalities without becoming proud over the one, or discouraged by the other. This is the secret of truly great people.
Their humility empowers them to take on difficult challenges, explore the unknown and attempt what seems impossible because they are aware of their own inner resources and strengths. Their humility also allows them to accept their mistakes, admit their limitations and even laugh at their failures.
A healthy sense of humor is closer to humility than serious self-depreciation. Pope John XXIII once remarked: “Anybody can be pope; the proof of this is that I have become pope.”
If we seek to be truly great, then we have to become humble. St. Augustine says:
Do you wish to raise yourself? Begin by humbling yourself. Are you dreaming of building an edifice that will tower to the skies? Begin by laying the foundation of humility.
