Do you acknowledge your talents as gifts from God and remain humble because all you have were given by God? - Daily Reflections August 28, 2016

A LESSON IN HUMILITY

 

“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

       The central point of this story has something to do with pride and humility. Our human egos are quite clever. Taking a low seat may not only avoid embarrassment but lead to elevation. One takes the low seat because one is really humble — that’s real humility; taking the low seat, on the other hand, as a way to move up is bad humility. It’s hypocrisy and pride. The entire message can become ridiculous if there is a dash for the lowest place, with ears cocked toward the host, waiting for the call to ascend. This kind of pride rests on hypocrisy, while humility rests on truth.

       Look at Mary, the very model of humility. She calls herself “handmaid of the Lord” but she is also aware of being holy. She expresses this in her Magnificat when she says to Elizabeth, “The Mighty One has done great things for me.” So, she frankly acknowledges her greatness while at the same time she admits humbly that she is not the source of her greatness. She is careful to give credit where credit is due. “The Mighty One,” she specifies, “has done great things for me.”

    In other words, God — and God alone — is the source of her greatness. Recognizing one’s lowliness is the proper attitude for human beings. When Jesus teaches that “the one who humbles himself will be exalted,” He does not say that the ones who shall be exalted are the ones who say they are ugly, not intelligent or uneducated when that is not the case. People who deny their qualities are making God a liar because He gave them those qualities and they say they do not have them. The humble person will say or think: I am good-looking, thanks be to God who gave me my looks. I am bright, thanks be to God who gave me my intelligence.

    Humble people rejoice in their gifts because they see themselves truthfully as they are. They are great in the eyes of God. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you acknowledge your talents as gifts from God and remain humble because all you have were given by God?

 

Lord, no one is as humble as You are. Teach me true humility, always acknowledging that without You I am nothing. Amen.