HUMILITY: A PATH TO GREATNESS
Homily for TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY C3
By Rev. Fr.Solomon P. Zaku
(Chaplain, All Saints Catholic Chapel, University of Maiduguri)
Readings: Sirach 3:17-20, 28-29; psalm 68:4-5ab, 10-11; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14
One of the virtues we supposed to possess as Christians is the virtue of humility. Once we are humble we can be able to do our work well and touch people’s life. Humility is known as the mother of all virtues. This is because if one humble all other virtues will follow. Humility is not low self-esteem. A person who has low self-esteem has a negative look of life; he feels nobody likes him and cannot do anything. While a humble person knows his strength and weaknesses and he works on his weaknesses in order to become a better person.
WHAT IS HUMILITY?
The Oxford advanced learners dictionary defines humility as the quality of not thinking that you are better than other people. St Thomas Aquinas sees humility as “the inclination towards the lowest place; a virtue which regulates our tendencies towards greatness”. This definition fits well with that of St. Teresa, who sees humility as walking in truth. For St. Bernard, humility is the mother of salvation. It is the virtue of those who have been restored in a rightful relationship with God, that is, those who are in Christ, the perfectly humble new Adam. The humble man knows the good which is in him, but he does not glory in it, except in so far as it comes from God. He knows the dangers of pride and therefore, the higher he finds himself the more he cultivates this humility and abandonment to God who gave him all these things. His gifts are talents which he must use for God to whom he gives strict account of the use he has made of them.
The virtue of humility is deeply rooted in the scriptures. So many passages in the Bible speak on the need to be humble and the rewards of being humble. The opposite of humility is pride. While the Bible praises the humble, it condemns the proud. While pride is a sin, humility is a virtue (cf. Prov. 16: 5; 18-19).
The first reading is very clear. It tells us of the need to be humble. “My son, perform your tasks in meekness (gentleness, humility); then you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favour with God. There are many who are noble and renowned, but it is to the humble that he reveals his mysteries. For great is the might of the Lord; he is gloried by the humble. The affliction of the proud has no healing, for a plant of wickedness has taken root in them, though it will not be perceived.”
This call to humility is repeated in the gospel where Jesus tells us, in a story form, that, when we are invited to a feast or celebration, we should sit at the lowest place and not at the higher place because we shall be embarrassed when someone greater in social status is also invited. We shall be asked to vacate our place and give it to the person of higher social status. He concludes, “For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus calls us to check ourselves and get rid of pride and plant humility in its stead. As Christians or humans, there is the possibility to see oneself as humble when one is full of the dust of pride. Our human nature, background and social standing may blind us from seeing our pride. Even when others tell us or point out to us that we are proud, we may rationalise it and claim that that person suffers from inferiority complex or is not exposed in life that is why he or she is telling us that ‘We are proud.’ May be the person is jealous of us.
The Bible gives examples of people who became great because of their humility. For want of time, we shall briefly look at some of them.
DAVID: He was the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd and a humble person. God gave him victory over the proud giant Goliath (cf. I Sam. 17). When David sinned against the Lord, David humbled himself before the Lord and accepted the will of God (I Sam. 15:30). Because of his humility, David was able to win the favour of God and became a man after God’s heart.
JOHN THE BAPTIST: He was a humble man. He prepared the people for the coming of Jesus. He introduced Jesus to the people. When asked whether he was the messiah, he said, “I am not the messiah …. I am not worthy to remove the stripe of his sandals” (cf. Jn 1:19-23). After introducing Jesus he said “…he must increase while I decrease (cf. Jn 3:30).
MARY: She was a humble poor girl when God chose her to be the mother of Jesus. Yet she did not become proud. When the angel told her she will be the mother of Jesus, she humbly responded “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). After being told that Elizabeth was pregnant, she humbly went to assist her kinswoman Elizabeth (cf. Lk. 1:39-42)
ZACHAEAUS: He was wealthy tax collector. His humility and curiosity made him climb a tree in order to see Jesus. This made him to gain salvation as that became his turning point (cf. Lk 19:1-10).
THE CENTURION: He was a high ranking soldier with hundred soldiers under his command. Yet, because of his humility, he felt unworthy to receive Jesus under his roof. Seeing his faith and humility Jesus healed his servant by merely uttering a word (Lk 7:1-10).
JESUS: THE MODEL OF HUMILITY
In the gospels, Christ twice offers himself as a model of holiness and especially of humility. He called on his disciples to learn from him “for I am gentle and humble of heart” (Mt. 11:29). Out of his humility he washed the feet of his disciples (cf. Jn 13:13-17). In both cases, humility goes hand in hand with peace and happiness. Jesus even though is God, humbled himself and became a man like us (cf. Phil. 2:4-11)
Christians are followers of Christ. As followers of Christ ,we e needs to be like Christ in every respect. One of the things that a true Christian must work towards is being humble. It is humility that can lead one to greatness. Jesus said “Anyone who humbles himself will be exalted…”
St. Paul in his second letter to Timothy admonished thus “a slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with anyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness” (2 Tim. 2:24).
There are many reasons why a Christian need to be humble. Some of these include:
God loves and delights in the humble: God likes those who are humble, those who acknowledge their strength and weaknesses. A humble person does things for the glory of God. He does not take the glory of anything achieved through his ministry (cf. Ps 51:17, 1 Pet. 3:4). A person who is humble will be loved by God and the people he works for because he belongs to the school of Christ. Jesus himself was humble and called his followers to be “meek and humble of heart” (Mat. 11:29). In line with this, St. Bernard says “if you are unable to rise to the heights of virginity, at least you can follow your God on the safe path of humility from which, if the very virgins themselves depart from it, they are not following the lamb on his path”.
Humility makes a Christian to grow in the spiritual life: St. Augustine affirms that if you ask me which is the word which leads to a knowledge of the truth, what is most essential in the religion and discipline of Christ, I will answer you: the first thing is humility, the second is humility and the third is humility. And every time you ask me the same question, I shall give you the same answer. Humility reminds a person of his weakness and gives him room to grow. A humble christian knows that without God he can do nothing (cf. Mt. 18:3, Jn 15:5). St Thomas Aquinas says: if we wish to rise higher, we must first sink lower, the more perfect we are, the more we need a finer grade of humility to destroy all signs of self-love, the great enemy. In line with this, St. John of the cross says: in order to become all things, do not seek to be anything. Thomas A Kempis said “the more humble a man is, and the more subject to God, the wiser will he be in all things and the more at peace.” C.S Lewis also said “ as long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people, and; of courses as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you”
A Christian need to be humble because it brings honour and glory: The book of proverbs 22:4 says “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honour and life. When people find out that one is humble, many will love him, support and do so many things to make things easy.
Humility is a necessity for Christians because it can spare us from trouble. As a Christian one may face challenges and difficulties, but once one is humble such troubles can be avoided. Humbling oneself before God also can save one from wrath of God and obtain forgiveness from God (cf. 1 Kgs 21:17-25-Ahab humbled himself and was forgiven, 2 Chron. 32:26). If people know you are humble they can accommodate your short coming.
WHY SOME PEOPELE ARE NOT HUMBLE
There are some reasons why some People are not humble. Some of these reasons are
I know it all- the most educated, the most opportune.
We are special people-need special treatment
They will look down on me syndrome
I have arrived
You and I are challenged today to reflect on our lives and tell our selfs the truth if we we are proud of Humble. We need to be humbly because humility is the only path to greatness. No wonder it is said “ humility make the devil a Saint while pride makes an angel a devil”. I pray the lord will grant you the grace to be humble so that you will be exalted.
By Rev. Fr.Solomon P. Zaku
(Chaplain, All Saints Catholic Chapel, University of Maiduguri)
Readings: Sirach 3:17-20, 28-29; psalm 68:4-5ab, 10-11; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14
One of the virtues we supposed to possess as Christians is the virtue of humility. Once we are humble we can be able to do our work well and touch people’s life. Humility is known as the mother of all virtues. This is because if one humble all other virtues will follow. Humility is not low self-esteem. A person who has low self-esteem has a negative look of life; he feels nobody likes him and cannot do anything. While a humble person knows his strength and weaknesses and he works on his weaknesses in order to become a better person.
WHAT IS HUMILITY?
The Oxford advanced learners dictionary defines humility as the quality of not thinking that you are better than other people. St Thomas Aquinas sees humility as “the inclination towards the lowest place; a virtue which regulates our tendencies towards greatness”. This definition fits well with that of St. Teresa, who sees humility as walking in truth. For St. Bernard, humility is the mother of salvation. It is the virtue of those who have been restored in a rightful relationship with God, that is, those who are in Christ, the perfectly humble new Adam. The humble man knows the good which is in him, but he does not glory in it, except in so far as it comes from God. He knows the dangers of pride and therefore, the higher he finds himself the more he cultivates this humility and abandonment to God who gave him all these things. His gifts are talents which he must use for God to whom he gives strict account of the use he has made of them.
The virtue of humility is deeply rooted in the scriptures. So many passages in the Bible speak on the need to be humble and the rewards of being humble. The opposite of humility is pride. While the Bible praises the humble, it condemns the proud. While pride is a sin, humility is a virtue (cf. Prov. 16: 5; 18-19).
The first reading is very clear. It tells us of the need to be humble. “My son, perform your tasks in meekness (gentleness, humility); then you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favour with God. There are many who are noble and renowned, but it is to the humble that he reveals his mysteries. For great is the might of the Lord; he is gloried by the humble. The affliction of the proud has no healing, for a plant of wickedness has taken root in them, though it will not be perceived.”
This call to humility is repeated in the gospel where Jesus tells us, in a story form, that, when we are invited to a feast or celebration, we should sit at the lowest place and not at the higher place because we shall be embarrassed when someone greater in social status is also invited. We shall be asked to vacate our place and give it to the person of higher social status. He concludes, “For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus calls us to check ourselves and get rid of pride and plant humility in its stead. As Christians or humans, there is the possibility to see oneself as humble when one is full of the dust of pride. Our human nature, background and social standing may blind us from seeing our pride. Even when others tell us or point out to us that we are proud, we may rationalise it and claim that that person suffers from inferiority complex or is not exposed in life that is why he or she is telling us that ‘We are proud.’ May be the person is jealous of us.
The Bible gives examples of people who became great because of their humility. For want of time, we shall briefly look at some of them.
DAVID: He was the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd and a humble person. God gave him victory over the proud giant Goliath (cf. I Sam. 17). When David sinned against the Lord, David humbled himself before the Lord and accepted the will of God (I Sam. 15:30). Because of his humility, David was able to win the favour of God and became a man after God’s heart.
JOHN THE BAPTIST: He was a humble man. He prepared the people for the coming of Jesus. He introduced Jesus to the people. When asked whether he was the messiah, he said, “I am not the messiah …. I am not worthy to remove the stripe of his sandals” (cf. Jn 1:19-23). After introducing Jesus he said “…he must increase while I decrease (cf. Jn 3:30).
MARY: She was a humble poor girl when God chose her to be the mother of Jesus. Yet she did not become proud. When the angel told her she will be the mother of Jesus, she humbly responded “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). After being told that Elizabeth was pregnant, she humbly went to assist her kinswoman Elizabeth (cf. Lk. 1:39-42)
ZACHAEAUS: He was wealthy tax collector. His humility and curiosity made him climb a tree in order to see Jesus. This made him to gain salvation as that became his turning point (cf. Lk 19:1-10).
THE CENTURION: He was a high ranking soldier with hundred soldiers under his command. Yet, because of his humility, he felt unworthy to receive Jesus under his roof. Seeing his faith and humility Jesus healed his servant by merely uttering a word (Lk 7:1-10).
JESUS: THE MODEL OF HUMILITY
In the gospels, Christ twice offers himself as a model of holiness and especially of humility. He called on his disciples to learn from him “for I am gentle and humble of heart” (Mt. 11:29). Out of his humility he washed the feet of his disciples (cf. Jn 13:13-17). In both cases, humility goes hand in hand with peace and happiness. Jesus even though is God, humbled himself and became a man like us (cf. Phil. 2:4-11)
Christians are followers of Christ. As followers of Christ ,we e needs to be like Christ in every respect. One of the things that a true Christian must work towards is being humble. It is humility that can lead one to greatness. Jesus said “Anyone who humbles himself will be exalted…”
St. Paul in his second letter to Timothy admonished thus “a slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with anyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness” (2 Tim. 2:24).
There are many reasons why a Christian need to be humble. Some of these include:
God loves and delights in the humble: God likes those who are humble, those who acknowledge their strength and weaknesses. A humble person does things for the glory of God. He does not take the glory of anything achieved through his ministry (cf. Ps 51:17, 1 Pet. 3:4). A person who is humble will be loved by God and the people he works for because he belongs to the school of Christ. Jesus himself was humble and called his followers to be “meek and humble of heart” (Mat. 11:29). In line with this, St. Bernard says “if you are unable to rise to the heights of virginity, at least you can follow your God on the safe path of humility from which, if the very virgins themselves depart from it, they are not following the lamb on his path”.
Humility makes a Christian to grow in the spiritual life: St. Augustine affirms that if you ask me which is the word which leads to a knowledge of the truth, what is most essential in the religion and discipline of Christ, I will answer you: the first thing is humility, the second is humility and the third is humility. And every time you ask me the same question, I shall give you the same answer. Humility reminds a person of his weakness and gives him room to grow. A humble christian knows that without God he can do nothing (cf. Mt. 18:3, Jn 15:5). St Thomas Aquinas says: if we wish to rise higher, we must first sink lower, the more perfect we are, the more we need a finer grade of humility to destroy all signs of self-love, the great enemy. In line with this, St. John of the cross says: in order to become all things, do not seek to be anything. Thomas A Kempis said “the more humble a man is, and the more subject to God, the wiser will he be in all things and the more at peace.” C.S Lewis also said “ as long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people, and; of courses as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you”
A Christian need to be humble because it brings honour and glory: The book of proverbs 22:4 says “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honour and life. When people find out that one is humble, many will love him, support and do so many things to make things easy.
Humility is a necessity for Christians because it can spare us from trouble. As a Christian one may face challenges and difficulties, but once one is humble such troubles can be avoided. Humbling oneself before God also can save one from wrath of God and obtain forgiveness from God (cf. 1 Kgs 21:17-25-Ahab humbled himself and was forgiven, 2 Chron. 32:26). If people know you are humble they can accommodate your short coming.
WHY SOME PEOPELE ARE NOT HUMBLE
There are some reasons why some People are not humble. Some of these reasons are
I know it all- the most educated, the most opportune.
We are special people-need special treatment
They will look down on me syndrome
I have arrived
You and I are challenged today to reflect on our lives and tell our selfs the truth if we we are proud of Humble. We need to be humbly because humility is the only path to greatness. No wonder it is said “ humility make the devil a Saint while pride makes an angel a devil”. I pray the lord will grant you the grace to be humble so that you will be exalted.
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