[Ep 134: Bringing the Sabbath into Your Monday.]
We’re looking at the underlying message of the grace of humility, in this Sunday’s Gospel reading.
Humility is a great gift. But it can also be a challenging one. As has been said, one of the most “dangerous” prayers is for humility.
I recall being on retreat, and at that time had been praying a novena for humility. There was a time for group sharing on the first day and I had something to say, raised my hand and shared with the group. I thought it wasn’t half bad, if I say so myself, but it was met with only crickets, as they say. And then the next guy speaks up and says essentially the same thing. But now there was awe from the crowd. I think a few people actually pulled out lighters and waved them in the air. And that sort of thing happened repeatedly.
Now, this is how thick I am. It wasn’t until that night when I was praying the next session of the novena for humility that I put two and two together and recognized that familiar pattern – pray for something and God will give you the chance to practice it. In this case, I had become the invisible man.
I had often thought of humility as something unpleasant – something to offer up. In reality, humility is God’s gift to us. Mother Angelica points to this from St. Paul regarding humility as a grace – a gift from God – “For by the grace given to me I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly tan one ought to think…” (Rom 12:3)
Humility opens the door for God to show us that He sees us – and that He appreciates us.
Take my retreat experience. What did I want? I wanted the accolades of the people. I wanted them like what I had to say. God had something better for me than human affirmation (not that there’s anything wrong with human affirmation, per se). And later in the retreat, in His own way, God showed me where and how He was pleased with me.
And so it is with the message of yesterday’s Gospel reading. Jesus says in so many words, “take a lowly seat, so that you can hear me say to you, ‘No, no – come sit up here next to Me, I’ve been looking forward to having you by my side.’”
Praying for opportunities for you to become small in humility this week (they abound…) and for you to experience God raising you up –
Steve
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life
Postscript: Luke 14:1, 7-14
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Then he said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”