JESUS MEEK & HUMBLE OF HEART,
MAKE MY HEART LIKE UNTO THINE
Sirach 35: 12-14, 16-18; 2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 16-18; Luke 18: 9-14
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.
I can’t wait to look in the mirror `cause I get better looking each day.
To know me is to love me; I must be a hell of a man.
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble but I’m doing the best that I can.
Singer and songwriter Mac Davis wrote those words in 1980 when he tried to figure out why he was constantly waking up alone in the “star suite” of the hotels in the various cities where he was performing when he and all his fans thought he was perfect “in every way”.
“Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble.” We might laugh, but it’s true: it IS hard to be humble. Maybe it has always been so, but it is especially today. Through social media flatforms like Facebook, we become instant celebrities. Every moment and movement in our lives is chronicled. Even something as mundane as the food we’re about to put in our mouths we somehow feel is somehow newsworthy enough that we need to take a picture of it. And would the day be complete without taking a few selfies and posting them on Instagram? "I can’t wait to look in the mirror ‘cause I get better looking each day.”
But in our Gospel today, Jesus says, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” And it is the prayer of the sinful, yet humble, tax collector that is heard and the prayer of the righteous, yet arrogant, pharisee that is ignored.
The virtue of humility is certainly something we hear a lot about in Scripture, as a matter of fact, 96 times, to be exact. We’re told that, as God’s Chosen People, holy and dearly loved, we should clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3: 12); that we should be completely humble and gentle; patient and bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4: 2); that God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble (James 4: 6); and that if we humble ourselves before the Lord, he will lift us up. (James 4: 10). And Jesus himself said, “Whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18: 4). Jesus very life is an example of humility: born in a stable not a palace, clothed in swaddling clothes not silk, a Messiah who came to serve, not be served; a Master who stooped to wash the dirty, smelly feet of his disciples at the Last Supper.
Most people believe that being humble means being weak or passive, groveling in front of others, thinking others are superior to themselves. But that’s not what biblical humility is. St. Augustine said in one of his letters, “The way to Christ is first through humility, second through humility, third through humility” (Letters 118:22). St. Thomas Aquinas defined it this way: “Humility means seeing ourselves as God sees us: knowing every good we have comes from Him as pure gift” (Summa Q161). Humility is recognizing that you need God’s help, knowing you can’t truly succeed by your own strength. It’s thanking God for your talents and gifts and giving him credit for your accomplishments.
There are three ingredients of humility: Self-awareness, self-honesty and self-acceptance. Contemporary Catholic author, Fr. Richard Rohr wrote that “To be humble is to fully know yourself, to joyfully accept your limitations,” and to acknowledge your dependence on the strength of God. When you’re humble, you’re free from pride and arrogance, and comfortable with who you are in Christ and therefore you don’t feel threatened by putting others first, by building them up, not yourself. You can’t be humble until you learn to love yourself, be yourself, give yourself.
Humility is tough. I think to be humble is the most difficult of all human traits. Why? Because, humility isn’t a normal human feeling. Humility doesn’t exist in the natural world, a world where pride, greed and power come more naturally. The power of humility is subtle, non-boisterous and non-aggressive. Compared to being humble, it’s easier to be aggressive, mean, opinionated and arrogant.
Humility is tough. Why? Because, to be humble is to be more like Jesus Christ. It’s impossible to embrace biblical humility unless Jesus is fully entrenched in your heart and in your soul. Humbleness means to be like Jesus. That’s it. There’s no other way to be humble than to let go as a human being and to accept the almightiness of God. It might seem strange to us, but there is actual power in humility - power in letting go to God and putting Him in control.
And so, we need to look to Jesus, to his heart, if we really desire to become humble in the eyes of God. We need to strive . . .
- To have a worshipping heart: All that Jesus did glorified his Heavenly Father. We need to do the same. The motivations behind our accomplishments shouldn’t be to put the spotlight on ourselves, to win the praise of other or to pat ourselves on the back, but to give God glory through the talents and abilities He has given us and the opportunities He has placed in our lives.
- To have a grateful heart: A grateful heart changes the atmosphere around us. It carries a heavenly fragrance, the fragrance of appreciation and thanksgiving. It moves our eyes off of our self and esteems God.
- To have a surrendering heart: Jesus was totally dependent on the Holy Spirit and completely surrendered himself to His Father’s will. We need to do the same and empty ourselves – our successes, our needs, all that we have and all that we are into the hands of God.
- To have an obedient heart: Jesus was obedient even to death on a cross. His prayer should be our prayer: Not my will, Father, but yours – Thy will be done.
- To have a servant’s heart: Jesus desired no glory for himself but instead embraced the lowliness of a servant. Similarly, we should desire to make our greatest accomplishment in life be the good we can do for others.
- And we need to have a considerate heart: Jesus wasn’t self-absorbed or self-preoccupied but focused totally on the good of others. That should be our example – to consider the needs of others before our own in thought, in action, and in prayer.
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.
But . . . I’m not perfect . . . in any way.
Jesus, Meek and Humble of Heart, make my heart like unto Thine.
