Homily For The Twenty-second Sunday In Ordinary Time. Year C. August 28, 2022.
Sunday Readings
” Humility and charity are the main supports of the whole vast building and all the other virtues depend on them. One makes up the foundation; the other, the roof of the building, the sturdiness of which depends on both. If the heart constantly dedicates itself to the practice of these two virtues, it will have no difficulty with all the others .” – Padre Pio
My Dearest Friends In Christ,
The readings of today draw our attention to the virtues of humility and charity which according to Padre Pio are the building blocks of our spiritual life. Without the virtue of humility, we cannot truly experience the graces and mercy of God. The readings also warn us against all forms of pride and self-glorification. They present humility not only as a virtue but also as a means of opening our hearts, our minds, and our hands to the poor, the needy, the disadvantaged, and the marginalized people in our society.
Humility is priceless. It paves the way for greater things in the life of every authentic Christian. It empties us of pride which is the worst enemy and the chief capital sin that robs us of the Grace of God. As we reflect on humility this morning, this quote from the Gospel of Luke comes to mind, “For He has looked with favor on the humility of His handmaid. For behold, from this time, all generations shall call me blessed.” (cf Luke 1:48). What does this say to us? It tells us that those who find favor in the sight of God are those who humble themselves. Our Mother Mary was an example of such a holy woman. Even though she was being placed in a high and revered state, she humbled herself and became an instrument of God’s salvific work. You will remember how she visited her cousin Elizabeth and stayed with her serving and helping immediately after having been informed by the angel that she, Mary, would give birth to the Savior Of The World. She remained calm and ready to serve even after having heard this glorious announcement!!
The first reading of today emphasizes the virtue of humility and reminds us that the humble will always find favor in God’s sight and the sight of men.
The second reading, taken from Hebrews, gives another reason for us to be humble. Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, humbled Himself, taking on human flesh and living as one of us so that He might die to save us. He invites His followers to learn how to live as He does because He is “meek and humble of heart.” Paul reminds us that Jesus made Himself lowly, particularly in His suffering and death, for our salvation. (Heb 2:5-18) Therefore, we should be like Him to be exalted with Him at the resurrection of the righteous. Paul also seems to imply that we need to follow Christ’s example of humility in our relationships with the less fortunate members of our society.
In the Gospel, Jesus uses the context of a social event to teach us what humility implies in everyday life and in our spiritual life. We have to humble ourselves when being embarrassed and humiliated, irrespective of our titles. We will then be honored by Christ with the more prestigious position of being counted as one of His true followers. The Word of God says in Mathew, ”For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” ( cf. Mathew 23:12)
I have often asked myself why it is difficult for us to be humble. What does it take away from us to humble ourselves before people we meet and even before God? In reality, being humble takes nothing away from a person but rather enriches us. It is pathological for some people to pride themselves, to show off, to add a multitude of titles and qualifications to their name, and ostentatiously display their achievements. Some would say it is an inferior complex that makes people pride themselves, but I see it as a compulsive exaggeration of self-worth orchestrated by spiritual aridity and lack of interior fulfillment. It is could also be arrogance. People who are truly fulfilled are those who acknowledge the impact of God in their life and amid all worldly achievements give all the glory to God. People who trumpet their achievements and pride themselves are those who have achieved nothing. People live to impress others live aren’t being true to themselves. The Bible warns us about pride or arrogance in prayers in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 18:9ff. If we truly want God to answer our prayers, we need to humble ourselves before Him. There is nothing we have nor are that is not given.
“For who makes us different from anyone else? What do we have that we did not receive? And if we did receive it, why then do we boast as though we did not ?” ( cf. 1 Cor 4:7)
The second part of today’s Gospel reminds us that humility connects us with the poor. In a society that has been severely damaged by the forces of social stratification and the caste system. The gap between the poor and the rich has widened more. It is only when we humble ourselves, whether rich or highly educated, that we can connect with our poor brothers and sisters. As Christians, we must endeavor in our day-to-day life to bridge the divide caused by socio-economic inequalities. A humble person does not showcase their position when relating with others. Even if we don’t belong to the same class in society, remember that someday death will reclassify us all as classless.
A reporter watched Mother Teresa of Calcutta as she cleaned the maggot-infested wound of a man on the street, only to say, “I wouldn’t do what you do for a million dollars.” Mother is supposed to have replied immediately, with a bit of a wry smile, “I wouldn’t either.” But why would Mother Teresa do that? She did that because of her love for Christ and compassion for the sick. The poor and the downtrodden are suffering untold neglect in our society because they are bracketed as those who have nothing to offer, so no one invites them for any gathering. We want our religious and social gatherings to be honored by well-meaning and well-to-do people who will donate huge sums to our fundraising and offer a gift of gold and silver to us. Aren’t we guilty of neglect to the poor as a people and as a Church?
Let us remember today, that we need to humble ourselves in order to connect with the poor. In as much as we invite people who will shower us with gifts, we should also extend our invitation and love to those who may not be able to offer us anything. True charity consists of giving and expecting nothing in return. May God give us the graces to be humble and charitable. Amen.
I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2024)
