Ephesians 3:13-21 Luke 14:1-11
–Fr. Timothy Castor
At first glance, the parable in today’s Gospel seems to be little more than a lesson in etiquette: good table manners for when you’re invited to a banquet. And, on that level, it happens to be excellent advice. If you don’t know where you’re supposed to sit, the best way to avoid the embarrassment of being sent to a lower place is to take a low place to begin with.
Of course, our Lord is teaching us more than table manners here; he is giving us a lesson in how to practice the virtue of humility. The self-important and prideful person seeks the place of honor because he thinks that is what he deserves. When he finds that the host has assigned him a lower place, then he suffers humiliation: he has learned humility the hard way. The humble man, on the other hand, naturally gravitates toward the lower spots, because he honestly believes that’s all he deserves. And, when the host calls him up higher, he is honored and respected on account of his humility.
Great persons are known for their humility. In the secular world, the great actor James Stewart was loved and respected by millions because he projected a spirit of humility. In the annals of the Saints, we find humility as one of the most enduring characteristics of holiness. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta—more commonly known as Mother Teresa—is a beautiful contemporary model of this. One of the qualities which made her so attractive to Catholics and non-Catholics alike was her humility. And, of course, our Lord Jesus Christ and his blessed Mother Mary are the prime examples of humility. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,” Jesus says, “for I am meek and humble of heart.” And our Lady sings in her Magnificat: “My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed…. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.”
It has been said that “true humility is not to think low of oneself but to think rightly, truthfully of oneself.” The way to practice the Gospel virtue of humility is to recognize who and what we really are—to have authentic self-knowledge: an accurate view of oneself and where one stands before God and before others. Saint Ambrose wrote (in reference to St. Paul): “An untaught humility has no claim to praise, but only that which possesses modesty and a knowledge of self. For there is a humility that rests on fear, one, too, that rests on want of skill and ignorance. Therefore the Scripture says: ‘He will save the humble in spirit.’”
A 20th Century theologian put it this way: “How can we retain our humility? We can retain it by realizing the facts. How ever much we know, we still know very little compared with the sum total of knowledge. However much we have achieved, we still have achieved very little in the end. However important we may believe ourselves to be, when death removes us or when we retire from our position, life and work will go on just the same.” (William Barclay)
The virtue of humility finds its opposing vice in pride, vainglory, a self-love which is, in essence, self-deception because it is a completely false view of oneself. This is why the Pharisees were incapable of showing authentic charity to others—why they condemned the Lord with their silence when he sought to heal the sick man who came to him on the Sabbath.
But if we are truly humble—with the humility of Christ—then we will be filled with love for our neighbor because there will be no self-love to get in the way. And we will be eager to give to those in need without counting the cost. And if we all possessed this virtue of humility, think of how much happier our lives would be in this world and how much more certain our place would be in the world to come.
True humility, born of accurate self-knowledge, leaves no room for self-love. Instead, it opens us up to the love of Christ. This is St. Paul’s prayer for us in today’s Epistle: “That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts;” he says, “that being rooted and founded in charity, you may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length, and height, and depth. To know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge; that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.