Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 / Heb 12:18-19, 22-24 / Lk 14:1, 7-14
A pastor decided it was time to give his people a serious talking to. His sermon hit fever pitch when he roared, “Every member of this parish is going to die. Every member!” As he scanned the congregation to gauge the impact of his words, he was pleased to see that they looked duly sober, except for one middle-aged woman who had a big smile on her face. “What are you smiling at?” growled the pastor.
“Well,” said the smiling lady, “I’m not a member of this parish. I never registered!”
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A-plus for denial! And A-plus for hubris, that foolish pride that persuades us we’re not like the rest of folks. It’s a lie, but how much energy we waste trying to prove it’s true.
Unwholesome pride takes different forms in different people. For some, it’s slavery to a lifestyle that’s supposed to prove we’re different and better. For some, it’s a fierce competitiveness in even the silliest of things — the need to win at all costs — to prove we’re different and better. For some, it’s all in the head, gathering up knowledge about arcane subjects, again to prove we’re different, smarter, and better than the rest.
Whatever its shape, pride is always ugly. And it always cuts us off from others and deprives us of the one thing we really desire: Communion. What an irony: To work so hard to prove we’re special and then to end up scorned and alone. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled!” Not by God, but by what we have become, what we are!
So what about the alternative, humility? At first glance, it seems even worse: The sniveling image of Uriah Heep comes to mind. Where did we get the idea that humility means brushing off all praise and minimizing our gifts? That’s not humility; that’s ingratitude to God, who gave us good gifts to be developed, enjoyed, and shared.
So what does real humility look like? Real humility is truth. And the essential truth about us is that under the skin we’re all the same, made from the same earth, short-lived, in need of one another’s help, destined to grow old and die.
That’s the truth about us. And once we face it, face our own pains and fears and our own need for help, we begin to see and understand the same needs in others. We begin to recognize one another as brothers and sisters. And the thought of trying to prove we’re different or better is exposed as bizarre, irrelevant, and a lie. Suddenly we’re not alone. We’re surrounded by fellow pilgrims, all walking the same road home to God. Jesus was right: If we humble ourselves, that is, if we embrace the truth about ourselves, we will be exalted. And we won’t have to wait for heaven for that to begin!
So relax in the Lord; relish His good gifts and share them. Take your brother by the hand, and start walking together. Your heart will be at peace because you’re walking in the truth!
