Those of you who were around in 1980’s may remember Mac Davis' popular song, "Lord, it's Hard to be Humble." The opening line is, "Oh Lord it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way." As I reflected on today's readings, it occurred to me that it is very hard to be humble in our society. We value success, achievement, excellence and winning. Humility is associated with failure and defeat. The Catechism teaches us that humility is a virtue, the opposite of the deadly sin, pride. However, I am not sure how much worth we place on the virtue of humility when we apply it to ourselves. We admire humility in the saints; consider the popularity of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. But we relegate humility as a pursuit only for the saints or as well-deserved punishment for those whose pride is out of control.
Every day we are bombarded with messages about striving forward, reaching for the stars, overcoming all obstacles, attaining the impossible and then we come to church on Sunday and are told "What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not" (Sirach 3: 20). How can we juggle what appears to be two radically different sets of values? There is nothing wrong with success. We get into trouble when we forget the real source of our success or when we grab for success at the expense of others. The humility we hear about today in our readings is a reminder that our talents and intelligence are gifts from God. Humility is our comprehension of who we are in the eyes of God. Humility is remembering that we depend on God for everything. Humility is acknowledging that God is in control, not us.
St. Paul gives us the perfect example of humility in Philippians 2: 5 - 8: "Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross."
God and judge of all,
you show us that the way to your kingdom
is through humility and service.
Enable us to renounce the quest for power and privilege.
Give us the reward promised to those
who make a place for the poor and the suffering.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
you show us that the way to your kingdom
is through humility and service.
Enable us to renounce the quest for power and privilege.
Give us the reward promised to those
who make a place for the poor and the suffering.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
AMEN.
