What does it mean
to humble yourself?
The Book of Sirach
makes humility sound very
appealing: My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved
more than a giver of gifts. But what
does it mean to humble yourself? Etymologically, the word comes from the Latin
humilis, meaning literally on the ground; it is related to the word
humus, or earth. Any act of humility depends on how we
position ourselves with relation to God; we need to know our own limitations,
and not be sage beyond our capacity; we
need to place ourselves on the ground,
as it were. It also depends on how we
position ourselves with relation to others, as Jesus makes clear in Luke’s
Gospel: when you are invited, go and take the lowest place. Such an act potentially also has appealing
consequences: the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Why?
Because he recognizes that the world does not rotate around him;
because, from a position of humility, there is room for growth, for
transformation, for God’s revelation in our lives. Psalm 68 is all about God’s goodness – it is a call to humility as
we recognize that God takes care of God’s people.
Finally, it is
from this place of profound humility that we can perhaps begin to grasp the
immense humility of Jesus himself, sent by God to become the mediator of a new covenant, as the Book of Hebrews puts it, sent to die that his blood
might speak more eloquently than that
of Abel of the love God has for God’s people. There is no more powerful act of humility in
all of human history, no more remarkable act of humility than this act of Jesus Christ – which allows us all to embrace
salvation and approach the city of the
living God, humbly, and with profound gratitude.
This post is based
on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
