At the home of one of the leading
Pharisees, Jesus 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…For everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
I was worried this Halloween. I
was worried that I would run out of candy.
So on Wednesday afternoon, I went to Albertsons to buy a few more bags
of candies just to be safe. While I was
driving, I was thinking to myself, “Let’s
see…there are approximately four thousand parishioners here. We have nearly nine hundred kids in our
school…They all know me…I’m gonna need a lot of candy.”
I bought nearly one hundred dollars worth of candy. I bought the good stuff: Kitkats,
Reeses, Hersey bars, Hersey kisses, etc…
I ripped open a few bags and put the chocolates in a large
container. I sat down and waited for the
storm to hit.
6:00 pm: All quiet. I thought to myself, “Well, it’s still early. The kids
are having dinner.” 7:00 pm: Nothing.
I reasoned with myself, “They must
be getting ready.” 8:00 pm: Not a living soul. I questioned myself, “What is going on?” I checked
the outdoor lights. 9:00 pm: What
the…!!!
Not a single kid showed up at my door.
This coming Monday, I will throw all my candy at them!
I thought I was popular. I
thought I was the only one. I thought I would
get inundated with little hands. I
thought there would be a line at my door.
Instead, I got nothing, no one, not a soul, not even an emergency call!
The Lord said, “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.’”
What a practical tip. What a
helpful hint. But is it really
that? Is the Lord writing a self-help
book full of “techniques” to help his followers to “appear” more humble? Theoretically (or theatrically) , is it not possible
that a very arrogant man could intentionally sit in the back only to be told to
come up to the front? Isn’t seeking attention
part of the problem with humility?
The Lord is not offering us some practical tips or helpful hints to be
more humble. The Lord is offering us a
humble way of life. Humility is based on
the truth. And the truth is: We are nothing without the Lord.
Doesn’t St. Paul sound a bit arrogant in his letters? In one of them, he writes: “Be imitators of ME for I imitate Christ” (Eph
5:1). Wow! Is it humility to equate oneself to
Christ? It is! But only if you are a
saint; that is, if Christ lives and breathes and works through you. In today’s reading, St. Paul writes: “That I
remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.” Wow! Imagine for a moment if I went to your
house and told you, “You
should feel blessed to have me in your presence!”
Any sane person would throw me out the door.
The secret to humility is not found in any self-improvement book. Rather, it is found in the person of Jesus Christ.
The secret to humility is found in TOTAL obedience to God’s Will.
The secret to humility is found in TOTAL obedience to God’s Will.
When a humble man acts on a good decision and it doesn’t
work out, he will not resort to breaking all the commandments to get what he
wants. Instead, he will trust that the
Lord has an alternate plan for him. He knows (and accepts) that God’s plan is always the
better plan.
It’s not so much what we say or do, but how we live. That’s what made Saul, Paul and Paul St.
Paul.
