Readings: Sir. 3:17-18, 20,28-29; Heb. 12:18-19, 22-24; Lk. 14:1,7-14_

 Humility

 1. A story was told about a group of people who gathered around a beach one hot afternoon. Suddenly they noticed a young girl who was drowning, when they rescued her, she was still unconscious. An old man reached out to help but was interrupted by a stern voice from a young man who claimed to be trained in saving people. He told everyone to step aside. The old man stepped aside. The young man carried out the CPR and the girl was resuscitated. Two hours later, the young man who saved the girl suddenly felt too much fatigue, had difficulty breathing and was unconscious. A few minutes later, he woke up in an ambulance that was taking him to the hospital, beside him was the old man who stepped aside for him checking his pulse. He also told him that he did the CPR on him. It was at this point that the unconscious man knew that the old man was a doctor. "You didn't tell me you are doctor", said the young man. The old man replied "It doesn't matter whether you call me a doctor or not, I didn't become a doctor for fame, the most important thing is that a life was saved." The young man with tears in his eyes humbly said "You just have saved two more lives today."

Dear friends, the central message of today's liturgy is humility.

2. The first reading of today invites us to humble ourselves, so that God will exalt us. It tells us that it is the humble who receives God's blessings. Pride and arrogance are barriers to God's grace.

The gospel has something similar, Jesus reminds us that it is in humility that we are exalted.

3. What is humility?

Humility is that quality of the mind whereby one holds himself in low esteem or opinion of his own goodness or importance. 

Spiritually, it is emptying of oneself because of our imperfections before the All Holy God, also a total dependence on God. It is the platform of all other virtues in the scriptures. In fact, humility is the only virtue that Jesus told us to learn from him.

Mtt. 11:29, "Learn from me, I am meek and humble of heart.

4. Jesus was a man of humility. This was manifested in three great moments of his life;

i.) His nativity: His parents were poor, he was born in a manger, he became man.

ii.) The washing of his disciples feet(Jn.13:1-13).

iii.) His death on the cross(Phil. 2:6-11). "Although he was in the form of God..."

5. Many Christians/people today are in trouble, in debt and hardship because they lack humility. They are arrogant, they overate and overestimate themselves, they claim to be what they are not.

Some others seek for things beyond their reach or beyond them, like cars, houses etc. They want to be like the other person. The first reading of today says "What is too sublime for you, seek not, do not search into things beyond your strength." 

Humility before God: It is in humility that we see God, that we receive favours from him. Some of us today play self righteousness before God. For some of us, it is "Through their fault, through their most grievous fault." Don't forget that it was pride that brought down Lucifer. 

Some scriptural passages supports the need for our humility before God. 

"The prayer of the humble man pierces the cloud" (Sir. 35:16-17).

"If the people who are called by name will humble themselves...(2Chron. 7:14).

Friends, humble yourself before God, he knows you in an out.

How ever much you know, you still know very little compared to the sum total of knowledge. How ever much you have achieved, you still have achieved very little compared to sum total of achievements. However important you are or may believe in yourself, when death removes you, or when you retire from a position or complete your tenure, life and work must go on, then you return to being an ordinary man. The Nigerian musician Burna boy will call himself "A common person." 

Finally dear friends, nobody has it all, no one knows it all, no one possesses it all. Your salary for the year could be someone else's expenses for the week. Remember, someone else has it more than you. Unfortunately, some people want to live their life and live yours, its not done that way.

I will always tell people 'You can only be a king in your own kingdom.'

Every blessings and a happy Sunday