Faith-Humility and Pride

HOMILY SUNDAY 22 – C

Being Humble of Heart

(Sirach 3:17-20, 28-29; Psalm 68; Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14)

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A happy loving couple celebrating their 60^thwedding anniversary was asked their secret. The husband replied that when they got married, they agreed that he would make the major decisions, and she all the minor ones. He then added that, come to think of it, in their 60 years of marriage, they never had to make a major decision!

The readings today give us a simple message: Be humble of heart

In the first reading, we are told God reveals God’s secrets to the humble – a special knowledge that flows from the experience of humility – knowledge that is hidden from the proud and self-sufficient. The psalm reminds us God makes a home for the poor; they have cause to rejoice and exult. And of course, the gospel insists that the proud will be humbled, and the humble will be exalted.

What God wants is a humble spirit and a contrite heart, a repentant heart, in persons who are able to face the truth about themselves and seek to make amends for any wrongs done. Spiritual writer Meister Eckhart put it this way: “To get at the core of God at his greatest, one must first get at the core of one’s self at our least.”

False pride covers a felt insecurity, that one is not good enough, and an unwillingness to face that painful reality, so a choice is made to pretend, to wear masks, to try to fool one’s self and others, to run from one’s own reality into illusion and deception.

Humility comes from humus, the word for earth. It means to be real; to accept one’s self as one really is, to let go of any pretense and deception, to find our truthful place at the table, to have the courage to face reality, accept reality, and deal with reality. A humble person is a healthy person psychologically.

In the gospel today, Jesus is under scrutiny by the lawyers and Pharisees, who pride themselves on how they keep the many laws of Judaism. He uses that occasion to teach them about humility. The New Interpreter’s Bible adds some background information to help us grasp the situation at that time. The poor, crippled, blind and lame were explicitly forbidden to serve as priests and were barred from entry into the Qumran community. The contrast between such restrictions and the spirit of Jesus’ teachings could hardly be more striking.

One standard offers the reward of social position, the other the reward of God’s favour. The standards of Jesus and the Pharisees were different. For Jesus, meals were a time of celebration and inclusive fellowship that foreshadowed the inclusiveness of God’s kingdom.

Corbin Eddy adds these thoughts: To eat a meal with others is to be in communion with all that is. Consciousness of what we are doing when we sit down together at a meal encourages humility, solidarity and openness to those with whom we eat, and with the whole of creation. Any distinction of class, or consideration of formalities and rules of etiquette, is clearly of secondary importance in this table spirituality.

Jesus made this equality and inclusiveness a priority in his teaching and in his whole way of being in the world. Table fellowship was also a time for sharing of wisdom. For Jesus, questions that emerged were: How big is your table? How round? With whom do you relate? Is there room at your table for the poor? For Jesus, real humility is found in living the meal: living in respect, collaboration and solidarity with all people, with all living things, with all the earth. Real humility is found in being open and ready to share with and to learn from all people, especially those who seem least likely to have something to teach us.

Humility is the antidote to the temptations Jesus faced in the desert, and that we face everyday: to be relevant (turn rocks into bread); to be famous (jump down from the temple), and to be powerful (all the kingdoms of the world). May we humbly say “no” to these temptations, as Jesus did.

Water is a good example of humility, as it always seeks the lowest place, but is raised up to become clouds in the heavens. Jesus himself, the Creator, always chose the least and the poorest, to exalt them. At the Marian Center in Edmonton there is a wall mural depicting Jesus in a food line, barely distinguishable from the other homeless people. That is humility.

The Eucharist that we now celebrate is truly a humble meal of faith and forgiveness. It empowers us to go out, to be humble bearers of Good News

So, be humble of heart, and you will be exalted