On a flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged, well-off white South African Lady had found herself sitting next to an African man. She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain about her seating. “What seems to be the problem Madam?” asked the attendant.
“Can’t you see?” she said. “You’ve sat me next to a kaffir. I can’t possibly sit next to this disgusting human. Find me another seat!” “Please calm down Madam.” the stewardess replied. “The flight is very full today, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll go and check to see if we have any seats available in club or first class.” The woman cocks a snooty look at the outraged black man beside her (not to mention at many of the surrounding passengers also).
A few minutes later the stewardess returns with the good news, which she delivers to the lady, who cannot help but look at the people around her with a smug and self satisfied grin: “Madam, unfortunately, as I suspected, economy is full. I’ve spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class”.
Humility is opposed to a pride that shows no respect for others, but tends to dominate, to exercise power for its own sake, to be unconcerned for the rights of others. It is a virtue which sees service of others as the meaning of authority.
*****************
Thomas O’Loughlin,
Introduction to the Celebration
Before the lady had a chance to answer, the stewardess continued, “It is most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I had to get special permission from the captain. But, given the circumstances, the captain felt that it was outrageous that someone be forced to sit next to such an obnoxious person.” With which, she turned to the African man sitting next to her, and said: “So if you’d like to get your things, Sir, I have your seat ready for you in first class up at the front...” At which point, apparently the surrounding passengers stood and gave a standing ovation while the African guy walks up to first class in the front of the plane.
(Unfortunately I do not know the source of this story by Fr. Tommy Lane)
(Unfortunately I do not know the source of this story by Fr. Tommy Lane)
Humility is opposed to a pride that shows no respect for others, but tends to dominate, to exercise power for its own sake, to be unconcerned for the rights of others. It is a virtue which sees service of others as the meaning of authority.
Introduction to the Celebration
Today at our meal in this house we recall a Sabbath day meal
when Jesus saw how people sought out places of honour at the table, and he
reminded them that the values of the kingdom are the opposite of the earthly
values of power and prestige: in the kingdom the humble shall be exalted. Now
let us reflect on how we have gathered for this meal with Jesus: do we see each
other as sisters and brothers; do we see ourselves as servants to each other;
and do we see ourselves as the servants of all who are poor.
Gospel Notes
Gospel Notes
General Textual comments
----------------------
Homily - 3: Fr. John Speekman: Like Vampire Movies
To prevent us and others from seeing the truth about ourselves the ego has to be fast on its feet – like a vampire. How often does the poor heroine, confronted by the vampire, turn around to run away only to find him once again standing before her? My ego is that fast! Everywhere I turn I find – myself – me, me, me. It’s all about – me.
Naturally, the arch-enemy of the ego is humility. If ego is all about me; humility is all about you. Ego takes the highest place at the table; humility surrenders it to you. Ego invites rich neighbours to its feasts in the hope that it will be repaid; humility invites the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind because it seeks only the good of the other without thinking of itself. Humility embraces the truth; it embraces reality – the ego is a lie, it is, like the vampire, already dead.
************************
ILLUSTRATIONS:
"Yes, sir, and if you wish, I can send you some illuminating books."
"Very well," said the old man, preparing to leave as the train came to a stop. "You may send them to this address." He handed the young man a card, which read:
Paris
-------------------
"Him I know not," the Bishop replied. "Who comes?"
The herald, a bit shaken, replied, "Charles the Great, a good and honest man of the earth."
"Him I know not," the Bishop said again. "Who comes?"
The herald, now completely crushed, responded, "Charles, a lowly sinner, who begs the gift of Christ."
4. Professor Washington
6. The humble man feels no jealousy
7. Henry Augustus Rowland,
I am the very least of all the saints. Ephesians 3:8
I am the foremost of sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15
In my weakness is my strength: 2 Cor 12/7-9
Poor windows copper coins
Lowly handmaiden
Manger
We'll receive the blows, Gandhi, and humiliate them
Weakness/inability/disability of the called in the Bible
Be humble or you'll stumble. D.L. Moody.
Never be haughty to the humble. Never be humble to the haughty. Jefferson Davis.
Pope Francis recently demonstrated and defined the practice of humility. He defined it not by his words. He defined it by his actions.
After his election to the papacy, he turned down the Vatican limousine ride, instead taking the mini-bus back over to the hotel with his brother Cardinals. At the hotel, he gathered his luggage, thanked each member of the staff, and paid his own bill. He did not pass off these seemingly meaningless tasks to a papal aide. It was not as if he had nothing to do.
Francis, this humble servant of the Lord, remained Francis, humble servant of the Lord, even after being elected head of the Roman Catholic Church. His humility was not so much a series of individual actions or practices as it was a way of life for him, as a Jesuit priest, archbishop, cardinal, and pope.
--------------------
Humility and a passion for praise are a pair of characteristics which together indicate growth in grace. The Bible is full of self-humbling (man bowing down before God) and doxology (man giving praise to God). The healthy heart is one that bows down in humility and rises in praise and adoration. The Psalms strike both these notes again and again. So too, Paul in his letters both articulates humility and breaks into doxology. Look at his three descriptions of himself quoted above, dating respectively from around A.D. 59, 63, and 64. As the years pass he goes lower; he grows downward! And as his self-esteem sinks, so his rapture of praise and adoration for the God who so wonderfully saved him rises.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. I means freedom from thinking about yourself one way or the other at all." William Temple, "Christ in His Church"
Gospel Notes
This story is found only in Luke. The omission of vv 2-6 is
a piece of careful editing as it removed a healing story which, if left with
today’s gospel, would have confused its message. Given that this text is being
interpreted in the context of a Sunday Eucharist, it is an ideal text for
exegesis in a homily.
*******************************************************
Sean GoanGospel Notes
Once again in Luke’s gospel a meal forms the backdrop to
some important teaching of Jesus about the values of the kingdom of God. In
ordinary society the normal practice is to be self promoting, always seeking to
be one step ahead or to find ways to have one’s reputation enhanced. Jesus sees
this as evidence of shallow behaviour, guided by a mistaken notion of a
person’s true worth. The value of humility as taught by Jesus is that our
understanding of our worth is not dependant on being better than or more
important than somebody else. It is not about comparison at all. Our true sense
of self worth comes from within. Hence the significance of Jesus’ command to
the man who had invited him to the meal. The next time he has a dinner, instead
of using it as an occasion to further himself, why doesn’t he invite all those
people who can’t repay him? No doubt that suggestion ensured that Jesus was not
invited back, but it gently exposes the often shallow ways in which people deal
with each other.
******************
Michel de VerteuilGeneral Textual comments
The passage for our meditation today is difficult. It would
seem that Jesus is encouraging us to be sly and manipulative, to take the
lowest place so that we might be invited to go higher; the strategy that we in
Trinidad know as “playing dead to catch corbeau alive.” This, of course, cannot
be the way to read this parable, since we know from the rest of the gospels
that Jesus condemned all forms of deviousness, and St Paul captured his spirit
by telling us that our ‘yes’ should be ‘yes’ and our ‘no’, ‘no’.
We must know how to read parables; our problem is that
parables are a way of teaching we are not accustomed to in our cultures. We are
much more used to edifying stories which tell us of good people whom we are
invited to imitate. But a parable is different: its purpose is to capture one
particular moment, a deep moment when we experience grace in some way. If – as
often happens in the parables of Jesus – there are details in the story, they
are there to stimulate our imagination and so to help us re-live that moment in
our own experience. Jesus’ parables evoke for us the exciting moment when, for
example, we suddenly realize that the long time of waiting for the crops to
grow is over, and it is time to reap; the moment of hurt and resentment when we
see someone who has worked only one hour getting the same reward as we who
worked all day in the sun; the moment when we see clearly how mean we have been
in harbouring resentment at some little wrong that a friend has done to us,
although we have been greatly blessed in many other ways.
Today’s parable invites us to enter into two precious
moments. Don’t hurry; take each one separately and stay some time with it. The
first is in verses 8 and 9: we suddenly discover that we have claimed for
ourselves a place that is too high for us; we are not as selfless, generous or
compassionate as we thought we were, while we see before us people who really
possess these qualities. We had accepted the role in which the community had
placed us – as priest or religious or “prominent Catholic” – but in a crisis
our frailty is revealed to ourselves alone or to the community; to our
embarrassment, we go and take the lowest place. The parable is telling us that
when grace comes into our lives it is like that, it is always an opportunity
for spiritual growth, painful though it may be.
On the other hand, there is the experience of verse 10, that
touching moment that happens every once in a way, when we are made to feel good
about ourselves. We were looking after a sick relative, minding a neighbour’s child,
working hard at our job, doing it all without fuss but taking for granted that
it was the right thing to do; then a person, a Bible passage, or a spiritual
book showed us that we were doing something wonderful and, in fact, living the
story of Jesus.
The parable conveys exactly the atmosphere of the last
judgment in Chapter 25 of St Matthew’s gospel, where the virtuous are quite
surprised that their little acts of kindness were really done to Jesus, and the
wicked suddenly realize that they had neglected to serve him. Today’s passage
shows us that it is not merely a teaching about the last judgment, but about
what always happens when God touches us.
Be careful about applying verses 8 and 9 to others, as you
could easily fall into a self-righteous or judgmental reading. But feel very
free in letting verse 10 remind you of people you admire, the kind of people
who, when you praise them are surprised or even embarrassed – “I was only doing
what anyone in my position would do.” The parable is telling you to think of
someone like that, and you will have an idea of what it is to be a Christian.
Enter into the concreteness of the parable, remembering people that you don’t
have to worry about when you invite them to your home or to a function; you
know that they will be happy with whatever they find. Enter into their
spirituality, the deep attitude which makes them like that, and thank God for
them.
You might like to identify with the host in the parable, the
people in your life who have shown you your weaknesses and made you take the
lowest place where you belonged. At the time, you were angry with them, but
today, as you meditate on the passage, you thank God that he sent them to help
you grow spiritually. Thank him too for the one who invited you to see your
greatness and to experience yourself honoured by all those who sit at table
with you, your family or church community. Admire the insightfulness of the
host, and his courage; this will suggest to you the role of the Christian in a
community, or that of the Church in society – to expose all forms of phoniness
on the one hand, and on the other to invite little people to take their
rightful place of honour, even if it means that those in high places will be
embarrassed.
The passage ends with verse 11, another of Jesus’ great
sayings; we know that the first Christians loved it very much because it is
found several times in the gospels, and in different contexts. There is no need
to join it to the parable (although you may find that it sums up its message for
you); you can concentrate on entering into its truth in a new and deeper way
than ever before, and this could be the special grace that God has in store for
you this Sunday. The saying is sometimes taken to mean that there is something
wrong in holding high office, or even in wanting to, or that it is necessarily
virtuous to chose a lowly position in a community. In fact, choosing a lowly
position could be an evasion of a responsibility which God wants us to assume.
There are many passages in the Bible which correct such false interpretations.
In any case, the saying is not dealing with that question at all.
We can interpret those who humble themselves as the little
people in a community, those who go about their business even though they are
not given due recognition. Those who exalt themselves would be those who
consider themselves superior to others, and oppress them with their superior
attitudes. The saying then becomes a prayer of thanksgiving like the
Magnificat, or a prayer of trust, leaving to God the work of establishing his
kingdom of peace and justice. It also becomes a challenge to us to play our
part in correcting the imbalances of society.
You can also read the saying as a paradoxical law of
spiritual growth. There is a strong tendency in our culture to be self-centered
in our desire to grow spiritually. Jesus is telling us that if we try too much
to measure our spiritual growth, we end up regressing. If we leave ourselves in
God’s hands, letting him do the exalting, as it were, we give ourselves space
to grow. St Francis expressed this attitude perfectly when he said: “What I am
before God is what I am, and nothing more.” Don’t remain abstract at this
point: remember the moment when you understood this law, and moved away from
preoccupation with yourself, and thank God for sending you Jesus to teach you
through a friend or a spiritual guide. Pray for someone who is making that same
mistake, that they may experience the “exaltation” that flows from total trust
in God’s love, which is what the saying means by humbling ourselves.
Look back, then, to verse 1 in the passage, and see Jesus in
that hostile environment, perfectly free, not afraid to accept an invitation to
have a meal with people who he knew did not share his values. The secret to his
freedom is, of course, precisely the attitude he taught in this parable: he
knew that he was in his Father’s hands, and that was sufficient for him.
Compare him with those others who were picking the places of honour, and
recognize two attitudes which we have all adopted at times, and which we have
seen in our communities.
******************************************
Reflection
Humility is a virtue not much spoken about today. This is
the era in which self esteem is promoted, sometimes to the detriment of all
other aspects of a person’s development. Of course there is no conflict between
true self esteem and the value of humility as taught by Jesus. The problem may
be that nowadays humility might be seen as weakness, the humble person might be
regarded as a pushover. That would be a mistake and we only have to look to
Jesus to see how big a mistake. The philosophy that might is right is capable
of unleashing dreadful violence and of inflicting untold damage on human
society. It represents the opposite worldview to that preached by Jesus and
brings about no real change. However, to live as gently and humbly as Jesus did
is to commit oneself to a better world, armed only with a deep conviction that
God is love.
**************
Homily Notes
1. One of the problems that beset the early generations of
Christians was disputes at the Eucharistic meal over the rich looking after
themselves and disputes over precedence in a highly stratified society. Indeed,
these difficulties may have been responsible for the way the ritual community
meal developed into the ritual formal meal that we know as ‘The Eucharist’ (a
name that emerged in the second century for a specific religious ritual). Luke
was fully aware of these difficulties as in Acts he presents an idealised
‘original period’ that he wants communities to take as their model for how they
should behave at this meal. So when Luke presents Jesus at a Sabbath meal
teaching on how people should be-
have at a meal if they are wise, he wants his audience to
see this teaching as applying directly to them and their behaviour at the
Sunday meal.
2. So hearing this gospel today at our Sunday Eucharist is a
direct invitation to us to see if our community practice at our sacred meal
measures up to Jesus’s teaching.
3. The characteristics are:
Everyone must act
with humility. A practical consequence of this is that everyone must see
themselves as the servants of the community rather than those whom the
community might feel honoured to serve.
There must be no pandering or favouritism for the rich and
powerful. Around the Lord’s table there is a state of equality for all are
equally there by God’s invitation, grace, and mercy. Practically this has
implications when ‘dignitaries’ are present and given special treatment, but it
also has implications for ordinary gatherings where there can be special
groups that see themselves as being ‘special’ in some way within the community
and who seek to have this recognised.
There must be a welcome in the community for the needy all
those signified by the phrase ‘the poor, crippled, lame, and blind’. This means
that the community must be making special efforts to see that no individual or
group are excluded from the Lord’s meal or made feel that they are not ‘our
sort’.
A tone of genuine welcome and a spirit of service to one
another should be palpable qualities of the assembly.
The community must be
aware of the dangers of a small clique running the parish so that the
community’s assembly is only an excuse for their needs for self-importance to
be fulfilled.
4. Asking these questions can be hard, but the more the
questions are feared, the more they are needed – and the more there is a
need for the community to hear this gospel.
********************************************
HOMILIES:
From Connections -1
Gospel humility (a key theme of Luke’s Gospel) is not a
religious sado-masochism motivated by self-hatred or obsequiousness. As taught by Christ, humility is an awareness
of who we are before God; of our constant need for God and our dependence on
God for everything; of the limitlessness of God’s love and forgiveness. The Jesus of the Gospel, “who, though in the
form of God, humbled himself . . . accepting even death on the cross” is the
perfect model of the humble servant of God.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to embrace the attitude of
seeking out the “lowest places” at table for the sake of others, promising that
at the banquet of heaven God will exalt such humility. In teaching us to invite to our tables “those
who cannot repay you,” Jesus challenges us to imitate the love of God: doing
what is right, good and just for the joy of doing so, not out of a sense of
duty, self-interest or the need to feel superior or in control. “Nothing can so effectively humble us before
God’s mercy as the multitude of his benefits,” wrote Francis de Sales, “and
nothing can so deeply humble us before his justice as our countless offenses
against him.”
HOMILY POINTS:
Gospel-centered humility realizes that we are not the center
of all things but part of a much larger world, humility that is centered in
gratitude for all the blessings we have received as a result of the depth of
God’s love and not because of anything we have done to deserve it. Faced with this realization, all we can do is
to try and return that love to those around us.
Humility is the virtue of suspending our own wants and needs
in order to consciously seek God in all people and experiences. True humility is centered in the things of
God -- love, compassion, mercy, selflessness, tolerance and forgiveness.
The spirit of humility as taught by Jesus is not the
diminishing of one’s self but the realization that we share with every human
being the sacred dignity of being made in the image and likeness of God. To be humble as Christ teaches humility is to
see one another as God sees us and to rejoice in being ministers to them in
their joys and struggles.
God’s banquet table includes places of honor for every poor,
hurting, confused soul. At the Gospel
banquet table, we are both guests and servers: We welcome and are welcomed as
children of the same God and Father; as sons and daughters of God, we share
equally in the bounty of this table; as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are
responsible for the protection and maintenance of the vineyard given to us by
our loving Father.
***************
FROM ACP -2
Where is Justice?
Psalm 15 praises the person “who takes no interest on a
loan,/and accepts no bribe against the innocent. / Such a one will stand firm
for ever.” Back in the Middle Ages, the Church interpreted that verse to mean
that charging interest on a loan was morally wrong. However, it is clear from
other biblical passages that this condemnation applied only to making a profit
from the financial misfortunes of other members of the community. To quote one
example, “You may demand interest on a loan to a foreigner, but you must not
demand interest from your brother” (Deut 23:21).
All this is a far cry from today’s globalised financial
principles, where the law of supply and demand is supreme: the greater the
demand for services or goods, the more we are charged for them. In a closed
capitalist system the motto seems to be, ” Get as much as possible for every
transaction, and if there is no profit from it, have nothing to do with it.”
Repayment in the next life for the good deeds of this one has little attraction
for the business mind. And – let’s face it – this attitude also has passed over
into the spiritual sphere, whereby many of us, in varying degree, attempt to
become masters of our own destiny. The great idolatry of our time is the belief
that we can save ourselves. We are tempted to think like this: “I’m saving my
soul; I’m winning a place for myself in heaven.” We store up credits and
merits, towards the day when we can present them before God, and claim our
reward on the basis of strict justice, rather like a business transaction.
But if this in any way is a true reflection of our attitude,
then we are living an illusion. The problem underlying this is one which is
touched upon in the readings of today, namely the problem of pharisaism, the
idea of self-sufficiency, the absence of true humility. In other words we do
not understand the truth about ourselves, and how we stand in regard to God.
The Pharisees in the gospel parable picked the places of honour, which they
regarded as being theirs by right, because they observed the Law. We, too, fail
to recognise the common lot of humankind, its complete dependence on God’s
mercy, freely offered and not merited. The idea of giving a party, not for our
friends and relations, but for the poor and the crippled and the blind, does
not particularly appeal to us.
Remember that this is a parable, and what Christ is saying
is, “Accept others; be open to others. Don’t put up barriers between yourselves
and others, as did the Pharisees.” Another possible interpretation is that we
ourselves are the poor, the lame and the blind. And God has invited us to the
heavenly banquet, precisely because, for himself, there is no possibility of
gain or interest by so doing. He has invited us so that his mercy and his
bountiful goodness may be shown before all the world. The only way we can deny
this goodness of a merciful God is by declaring it to be unnecessary. And this
we do whenever we show a lack of humility, a misunderstanding of the role God
wants to play in our lives, whenever we say secretly, at the back of our minds,
“Lord, I’m a pretty good Catholic. I go to Mass on Sundays. I contribute to
collections. I don’t criticise people behind their backs, even though I know a
lot of others who do. Actually, Lord, I’m pretty good all round.” But Jesus
rejects this attitude, because it is a violation of the truth. It fails to see
that salvation cannot be deserved, cannot be claimed, that salvation is a pure
gift.
The true Christian spirit is to come as a beggar before God,
and make this basic request: “Lord, please help me.” It is being true to
Christian practice to face honestly our emptiness and limitations, to realise
the need we have for Christ’s redeeming power in our lives, to glory in our
infirmities, because the power of God is more evident when the recipient of it
is weak. As St Paul himself stated it, “I am quite content with my weaknesses
and with insults, hardships, persecutions, for when I am weak, then I am
strong” (2 Cor 12:9f) in Christ Jesus, my Lord.
With Wisdom as Guide
We are invited to consider what true wisdom means, according
to the mind of Jesus Christ. The gospel sets this challenge within the context
of controversy and dispute. We are told that the disciple must stand out
against prevailing social mores based on class, status, aggression and
dominance. The woman or man who, as a believing Christian, is in genuine
relationship with God lives according to a different vision.
If one is truly attempting to follow Jesus, then gentleness,
compassion, concern, acceptance of the other, must become guiding values, core
values in that person’s way of life. In a society based on ambition,
aggression, “going for it” regardless of consequences, being meek and humble
can seem like a recipe for social disaster. But this is the point. What the Gospel presents the direction we must take in order to build
a just society with room in it for all. Violence of whatever kind is a recipe
for disaster for humanity. Yet this is a hard lesson to learn. We are afraid to lose face or
status. We connive in an unjust status quo, while pretending to be Christian.
Jesus wants us to experience life to the full, wants us to
hear truth that carries freedom as its gift. Humility is not weakness, meekness
and gentleness have nothing to do with cowardice. Humility is the fruit of
self-awareness, meekness and gentleness the best expressions of strong
compassion. We need these qualities if we are to respect each other, we need
these qualities if we are to help each other and be helped, we need these
qualities if we are serious about changing the world and orienting all life,
all of creation towards the Divine.
Pride and Poverty
In our era of assertiveness training, aggressive marketing
and general one-up-manship the call of today’s readings for self-effacement,
gentleness and a true concern for non-influencial people seems like nostalgia
for a more gentle age, or a romantic picture of a bygone world. Signs of pride
are all round us and within us. Pride of place, be it in Church or State, at
work or recreation, is jealously guarded. As in Luke’s Gospel, seating
positions are carefully arranged and the pecking order carefully observed. If
arrangements go awry we feel offended, even slighted. Are these ceremonial
positions, then, matters of true significance or are we merely conditioned from
within by viewing our gifts as if they were our own, or from without by viewing
our temporary achievements or positions of superiority as of truly lasting
worth?
In the opening prayer we ask God to bring to perfection our
gifts. Whatever we have, talent, wealth or the ambition which enables us to
achieve, we have it from God. If “a generous rain” has been poured on us, if we
have been given a home to live in, if we are in apposition to exalt and enhance
then we hold these things as gifts of God and we should praise and thank him
for them.
If pride flourishes in our hearts we insult the gifts of
God. We are watchful of our positions, we dine in high places with the right
people to enjoy the illusory joy of celebrity. How vain are such concerns with
the passing glory of the hour! Side by side with such posturing, others live in
want and anxiety. We may pass them by
daily as we rush to some urgent insignificance or other, and our hearts do not
go out to them.
But in the city of the living God everyone has the status of
a firstborn child. Can we reshape our
values in the light of this? We are not asked to deny our gifts, just to
acknowledge them as being from God and to act responsibly towards those less
gifted or otherwise gifted.
Pope Francis has called on all Catholics to see our love for
Christ in light of how we respond to the
plight of the poor. Indeed, God himself asks us to convert from stubbornness and pride and
listen to the call of the weak, the humble and the voiceless.
Homily - 3: Fr. John Speekman: Like Vampire Movies
To prevent us and others from seeing the truth about ourselves the ego has to be fast on its feet – like a vampire. How often does the poor heroine, confronted by the vampire, turn around to run away only to find him once again standing before her? My ego is that fast! Everywhere I turn I find – myself – me, me, me. It’s all about – me.
Naturally, the arch-enemy of the ego is humility. If ego is all about me; humility is all about you. Ego takes the highest place at the table; humility surrenders it to you. Ego invites rich neighbours to its feasts in the hope that it will be repaid; humility invites the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind because it seeks only the good of the other without thinking of itself. Humility embraces the truth; it embraces reality – the ego is a lie, it is, like the vampire, already dead.
For the Christian to live in humility it must find a way to disarm the ego, to strip it of its power, to uncover and recognise its lies. For most of us this is the task of a life time. It is almost a definition of the Christian struggle though it must take into account that without the grace of God the struggle would be too much.
************************
ILLUSTRATIONS:
Did you hear about the minister who said he had a wonderful
sermon on humility but was waiting for a large crowd before preaching it?
--------------------
1. A
young man in a Train
A young man entered the coach of a train in a small
university town in France. The ink was scarcely dry on his newly acquired
diploma.
As the train sped off for Paris, he took his seat in the
rear of the coach near an elderly gentleman who seemed to be dozing. As the
train suddenly lurched, a string of rosary beads fell from his hand. The young
man picked up the rosary and handed it to the elderly gentleman with the
remark, "I presume you are praying, sir?"
"You are right. I was praying."
"I am surprised," said the young fellow,
"that in this day and age there is someone who is still so benighted and
superstitious. Our professors at the university do not believe in such
things," and he proceeded to "enlighten" his elderly
fellow-passenger.
The old man expressed surprise and amazement.
"Yes," continued the young man, "today
enlightened people don't believe in such nonsense."
"You don't say!" replied the old man."Yes, sir, and if you wish, I can send you some illuminating books."
"Very well," said the old man, preparing to leave as the train came to a stop. "You may send them to this address." He handed the young man a card, which read:
Louis Pasteur
Director of the Institute of Scientific ResearchParis
2. A
real Pane!
Somebody was called in to substitute the famous Billy Graham at the last minute. He was
aware of the awesome responsibility of substituting such a man. As he sat in
this huge church pondering he looked up and noticed the beautiful stain glass
windows and a little piece of cardboard stuck in where a piece had broken. So
in his sermon he compared himself with that piece of cardboard to fill in.
After the service, as he shook hand with the members, a
woman came to him and said, “Preacher, I just wanted you to know that you were
not the cardboard. You were a real pane!”
I like the story historians tell about the funeral of
Charlemagne. Charlemagne was the greatest Christian ruler of the early Middle
Ages. After his death a mighty funeral procession left his castle for the
cathedral at Aix. When the royal casket arrived, with a lot of pomp and
circumstance, it was met by the local bishop, who barred the cathedral door.
"Who comes?" the Bishop asked, as was the custom.
"Charlemagne, Lord and King of the Holy Roman
Empire," proclaimed the Emperor's proud herald."Him I know not," the Bishop replied. "Who comes?"
The herald, a bit shaken, replied, "Charles the Great, a good and honest man of the earth."
"Him I know not," the Bishop said again. "Who comes?"
The herald, now completely crushed, responded, "Charles, a lowly sinner, who begs the gift of Christ."
To which the Bishop, Christ's representative, responded,
"Enter! Receive Christ's gift of life!"
The point, of course, is that in God's eyes, we're all
equally needy. Charlemagne, Mother Teresa, you and me. None of us will ever be
"good enough" to force entrance into the presence of God.
Alex Gondola, Jr., Come As You Are, CSS Publishing Company
--------------------4. Professor Washington
A truly humble man is hard to find, yet God delights to
honor such selfless people. Booker T. Washington, the renowned black educator,
was an outstanding example of this truth. Shortly after he took over the
presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive
section of town when he was stopped by a wealthy white woman. Not knowing the
famous Mr. Washington by sight, she asked if he would like to earn a few
dollars by chopping wood for her. Because he had no pressing business at the
moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to do
the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished, he carried the logs
into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. A little girl recognized him
and later revealed his identity to the lady.
The next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr.
Washington in his office at the Institute and apologized profusely. "It's
perfectly all right, Madam," he replied. "Occasionally I enjoy a
little manual labor. Besides, it's always a delight to do something for a
friend." She shook his hand warmly and assured him that his meek and
gracious attitude had endeared him and his work to her heart. Not long
afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some wealthy acquaintances to
join her in donating thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute.
Our Daily Bread.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Inventor
Samuel Morse
Wakefield tells the story of the famous inventor Samuel
Morse who was once asked if he ever encountered situations where he didn't know
what to do. Morse responded, "More than once, and whenever I could not see
my way clearly, I knelt down and prayed to God for light and
understanding."
Morse received many honors from his invention of the
telegraph but felt undeserving: "I have made a valuable application of
electricity not because I was superior to other men but solely because God, who
meant it for mankind, must reveal it to someone and He was pleased to reveal it
to me."
Tim Hansel, Eating Problems
for Breakfast, Word Publishing, 1988, pp. 33-34.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------6. The humble man feels no jealousy
It was John Riskin who said, "I believe the first test
of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by humility, doubt of his
own power, or hesitation in speaking his opinion. But really great men have a
... feeling that the greatness is not in them but through them; that they could
not do or be anything else than God made them." Andrew Murray said, "The
humble man feels no jealousy or envy. He can praise God when others are
preferred and blessed before him. He can bear to hear others praised while he
is forgotten because ... he has received the spirit of Jesus, who pleased not
Himself, and who sought not His own honor. Therefore, in putting on the Lord
Jesus Christ he has put on the heart of compassion, kindness, meekness,
longsuffering, and humility." M.R. De Haan used to say, "Humility is
something we should constantly pray for, yet never thank God that we have."
------------7. Henry Augustus Rowland,
professor of physics at Johns Hopkins University, was once
called as an expert witness at a trial. During cross-examination a lawyer
demanded, "What are your qualifications as an expert witness in this
case?"
The normally modest and retiring professor replied quietly,
"I am the greatest living expert on the subject under discussion."
Later a friend well acquainted with Rowland's disposition expressed surprise at
the professor's uncharacteristic answer. Rowland answered, "Well, what did
you expect me to do? I was under oath."
Today in the Word, August 5, 1993.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am the least of the apostles. 1 Corinthians 15:9I am the very least of all the saints. Ephesians 3:8
I am the foremost of sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15
In my weakness is my strength: 2 Cor 12/7-9
Poor windows copper coins
Lowly handmaiden
Manger
We'll receive the blows, Gandhi, and humiliate them
Weakness/inability/disability of the called in the Bible
Be humble or you'll stumble. D.L. Moody.
Never be haughty to the humble. Never be humble to the haughty. Jefferson Davis.
Mother Teresa was once asked, "How do you measure the success of your work?"
She thought about the question and gave her interviewer a puzzled look, and
said, "I don't remember that the Lord ever spoke of success. He spoke only
of faithfulness in love. This is the only success that really counts."
---------------------------------------------
8. A
young American student
On a visit to the Beethoven museum in Bonn, a young American
student became fascinated by the piano on which Beethoven had composed some of
his greatest works. She asked the museum guard if she could play a few bars on
it; she accompanied the request with a lavish tip, and the guard agreed. The girl
went to the piano and tinkled out the opening of the Moonlight Sonata. As she
was leaving she said to the guard, "I suppose all the great pianist who
come here want to play on that piano."
The guard shook his head. "Padarewski [the famed Polish
pianist] was here a few years ago and he said he wasn't worthy to touch
it."
Source Unknown
-------------------------------------------
9. President
Lincoln
Lincoln once got caught up in a situation where he wanted to
please a politician, so he issued a command to transfer certain regiments. When
the secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, received the order, he refused to carry it
out. He said that the President was a fool. Lincoln was told what Stanton had
said, and he replied, "If Stanton said I'm a fool, then I must be, for he
is nearly always right. I'll see for myself." As the two men talked, the
President quickly realized that his decision was a serious mistake, and without
hesitation he withdrew it.
Source Unknown.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. George
Washington Carver,
the scientist who developed hundreds of useful products from
the peanut: "When I was young, I said to God, 'God, tell me the mystery of
the universe.' But God answered, 'That knowledge is reserved for me alone.' So
I said, 'God, tell me the mystery of the peanut.' Then God said, 'Well, George,
that's more nearly your size.' And he told me." (Adapted from Rackham Holt, George Washington Carver.)
George
Washington Carver was an African-American scientist who did some pioneering
work on the lowly peanut. In January 1921, he was called before the Ways and
Means Committee in the House of Representatives to explain his work. He
expected such a high-level committee to handle the business at hand with him
and those who had come with him with dignity and proper decorum. He was shocked
when the speakers who preceded him were treated very rudely. As an
African-American, he was the last one on the list, and so after three days of
waiting, he finally got to make his presentation. He was shocked when he
noticed one of the members with his hat on and feet on the table. When the
Chairman asked him to take off his hat, the member said out loud, "Down
where I come from, we don't accept a black man's testimony. And furthermore, I
don't see what this fellow can say that would have any bearing on the work of
this committee." At this point, George was ready to turn around and go
home, but he said to himself, as he wrote in his autobiography, "Whatever
they said of me, I knew that I was a child of God, and so I prayed 'Almighty
God, let me carry out your will'". He got to the podium and was told that
he had 20 minutes to speak. Well, his presentation was so engaging that he was
granted several extensions until he had spoken for several hours. At the end of
his talk, everyone on the committee stood and applauded him. (“More Telling
Stories, Compelling Stories” by William J. Bausch).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Sadhu
Sundar Singh
When I saw Sadhu Sundar Singh in Europe, he had completed a
tour around the world. People asked him, Doesn't it do harm, your getting so
much honor?" The Sadhu's answer was: "No. The donkey went into
Jerusalem, and they put garments on the ground before him. He was not proud. He
knew it was not done to honor him, but for Jesus, who was sitting on his back.
When people honor me, I know it is not me, but the Lord, who does the
job."
Corrie Ten Boom, Each New Day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Pope FrancisPope Francis recently demonstrated and defined the practice of humility. He defined it not by his words. He defined it by his actions.
After his election to the papacy, he turned down the Vatican limousine ride, instead taking the mini-bus back over to the hotel with his brother Cardinals. At the hotel, he gathered his luggage, thanked each member of the staff, and paid his own bill. He did not pass off these seemingly meaningless tasks to a papal aide. It was not as if he had nothing to do.
Francis, this humble servant of the Lord, remained Francis, humble servant of the Lord, even after being elected head of the Roman Catholic Church. His humility was not so much a series of individual actions or practices as it was a way of life for him, as a Jesuit priest, archbishop, cardinal, and pope.
--------------------
Humility and a passion for praise are a pair of characteristics which together indicate growth in grace. The Bible is full of self-humbling (man bowing down before God) and doxology (man giving praise to God). The healthy heart is one that bows down in humility and rises in praise and adoration. The Psalms strike both these notes again and again. So too, Paul in his letters both articulates humility and breaks into doxology. Look at his three descriptions of himself quoted above, dating respectively from around A.D. 59, 63, and 64. As the years pass he goes lower; he grows downward! And as his self-esteem sinks, so his rapture of praise and adoration for the God who so wonderfully saved him rises.
Undoubtedly, learning to praise God at all times for all
that is good is a mark that we are growing in grace. One of my predecessors in
my first parochial appointment died exceedingly painfully of cancer. But
between fearful bouts of agony, in which he had to stuff his mouth with
bedclothes to avoid biting his tongue, he would say aloud over and over again:
"I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my
mouth" (Ps. 34:1). That was a passion for praise asserting itself in the most
poignant extremity imaginable.
Cultivate humility and a passion for praise if you want to
grow in grace.
James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers,
1986.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. I means freedom from thinking about yourself one way or the other at all." William Temple, "Christ in His Church"
At a reception honoring musician Sir Robert Mayer on his
100th birthday, elderly British socialite Lady Diana Cooper fell into
conversation with a friendly woman who seemed to know her well. Lady Diana's
failing eyesight prevented her from recognizing her fellow guest, until she
peered more closely at the magnificent diamonds and realized she was talking to
Queen Elizabeth! Overcome with embarrassment, Lady Diana curtsied and
stammered, "Ma'am, oh, ma'am, I'm sorry ma'am. I didn't recognize you
without your crown!"
"It was so much Sir Robert's evening," the queen
replied, "that I decided to leave it behind."
Today in the Word,
April 3, 1992.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is for me to have
no trouble; never to be fretted or vexed or irritated or sore or disappointed.
It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel
nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me and when I
am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord where I can go
in and shut the door and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace as in a
deep sea of calmness when all around is trouble. It is the fruit of the Lord
Jesus Christ's redemptive work on Calvary's cross, manifested in those of His
own who are definitely subject to the Holy Spirit.
Andrew Murray.
-------------
From Fr. Tony Kadavil's Collection:
-------------
From Fr. Tony Kadavil's Collection:
1) Cardinal Léger's option for the poor:
Most Rev. Paul-Émile Léger served as
Archbishop of Montreal from 1950 to 1968, and was elevated to the cardinalate
in 1953 by Pope Pius XII. He was one of
the most powerful men in Canada and within the Catholic Church. He was a man of
deep conviction and humility. Then on April 20, 1968 he resigned his office and
leaving his red vestments, crosier, miter, and pallium in his Montreal office,
disappeared. Years later, he was found living among the lepers and disabled,
outcasts of a small African village. When a Canadian journalist asked him,
"Why? " here is what Cardinal Léger had to say, "It will be the
great scandal of the history of our century that 600 million people are eating
well and living luxuriously and three billion people starve, and every year
millions of children are dying of hunger. I am too old to change all that. The
only thing I can do which makes sense is to be present. I must simply be in the
midst of them. So, just tell people in Canada that you met an old priest. I am
a priest who is happy to be old and still a priest and among those who suffer.
I am happy to be here and to take them into my heart."
(http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/a-or09-2-keeping.php Barry Robinson,)
Is that your calling? Is it mine? Probably not. Today’s gospel says: “Although they cannot repay you, you will be
repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
2) The humble Gandhi:
One man who took Jesus seriously was
Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi acknowledged that he had been much influenced by the
Gospels and touched by the life of Christ. As he once remarked, "I might
have become a Christian had it not been for Christians!" Gandhi did not
lead the masses by standing like a monarch above them but by identifying with
them and sharing in their circumstances. He identified himself with the half-naked
rural masses by rejecting his attorney’s pants and coat and dressing himself
with a loin cloth and cotton shawl.
While the other high caste Indian politicians were not willing to
associate themselves with the untouchables, Gandhi chose to live, eat and march
with the untouchables, and he gave them a new dignity and a new name. He
honored them by calling them HARIJANS, "the people of God."
3) America's "First Lady of Etiquette," Emily
Post, versus Jesus Christ:
Luke 14 focuses on etiquette for guests and hosts at
dinner parties. I thought I should see what the original "Miss
Manners," Emily Post, had to say on that subject. So I did consult the
twelfth edition of Emily Post's Etiquette. I learned to kneel, kiss his ring,
and address him as "Your Holiness" when having a private audience
with the Pope. I learned replies to lunch invitations to the White House must
always be handwritten and always returned that same day -- and the answer is
always, "Yes." Emily Post was very specific about planning formal
dinners. Seating charts were included showing which seats the guests of honor
should get. Who's seated next to whom is also important. Emily Post sums it up:
"The requisites for a perfect formal dinner ... are ... Guests who are
congenial, Servants who are competent, A lovely table setting -- Food that is
perfectly prepared ... A cordial and hospitable host and a charming
hostess" (and a good seating chart). And there is another source we can
turn to on how to throw a perfect party. The source is Scripture. And the
"etiquette expert" is Jesus himself. In today’s gospel, Jesus gives
guidance on party protocol while attending a formal dinner. When God is
throwing a party, all the "right" people will be there -- that is
everyone who responds to (God's) invitation.
But seated next to the host (Jesus) in the places of honor are not the
dignitaries, the celebrities, the distinguished people of position and
prominence, but rather the poor, the hurting, the outcast -- people who have
distinguished themselves only by their need.
