GOD, THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, FAVOURS THE HUMBLE
Happy 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Did you find yourself this past week rejoicing more frequently, praying more consistently to Christ & giving thanks no matter what situation you were facing? Did you also take time to turn to the Lord & intercede for the people you know who are in need?
Our readings this week follow through on our theme of last week of Jesus interceding for us & presents us with the view that our God is a righteous judge, who hears the cries of His people, & especially the lowly, the poor & the humble. Our beautiful 1st Reading from Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 35:12-14,16-19 assures us that God will not ignore the orphan, the widow, the humble, the virtuous person & the ones who serve Him with sincere hearts. I just love this description: “The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds … the Most High acquits the virtuous & delivers judgement” (cf Sirach 35:21.22).
Our Response to the Psalm from Psalm 34:7 “This poor man called’ the Lord heard him” re-echoes our theme that the Lord hears & saves the humble & lowly. To anyone who is experiencing great trial & difficulty, the 3rd stanza from our Psalm is especially hopeful & meaningful to you: “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; this whose spirit is crushed he will save.” (Psalm 34:19)
Our 2nd Reading from the 2nd Letter of St Paul to Timothy Chapter 4 Verses 6-8, 16-18 has this popular verse about perseverance & persistence in living out of faith – that of fighting the good fight, finishing the race & keeping the faith. St Paul knows this first-hand – he was rejected, persecuted, beaten, left for dead, shipwrecked etc; yet he bore it humbly, like our Lord Jesus, trusted in the Lord & lived constantly in the hope that God, the righteous judge would give him the crown of righteousness. And God has indeed honoured St Paul – he is known as the Apostle to the Nations!
Our Gospel account from Luke 18:8-14 portrays the diametric opposites in terms of attitude & disposition. On the Right-Hand Corner, you have the Pharisee – who scrupulously & religiously followed all 614 Mosaic (from Moses) Law. On the outside, he looked like a sure-win contender to become a saint. But, his words revealed his true self – proud, arrogant, disdainful & judgemental of others less ‘qualified’ & less “holy” & less ‘religious; than he. On the Left-Hand Corner, we see the Tax Collector, humble, repentant, conscious of his sinfulness, not even daring to raise his eyes to heaven, but pleading desperately “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Luke 18:13) The Pharisee, proud of his accomplishments in fulfilling the Law, approached God trumpeting his cause & looked like he was praying to himself! The Tax Collector, with humbled heart & contrite spirit, just sought God’s mercy & forgiveness! Who was justified & at rights with God? The Tax Collector, according to Jesus! Then the punchline by Jesus: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)
How do you feel when you read all these? If you actually do follow the laws & norms & commandments closely, you might feel uncomfortable or even annoyed. I want to emphasize there’s nothing wrong in following laws, giving tithes, supporting charities, fasting & praying & doing the wonderful pious & religious actions. However, it must be done in humility & love. For our faith is not about external observances, but one of love & a deep personal relationship with God who loves us!
It’s about us acknowledging that all our skills & talents, blessings, resources & wealth are truly gifts from God. They are not our rights nor our entitlements. Thus, we are to live our lives recognizing the Lord as the Source & Supply of every blessing. And we are to do what St Peter urges: “And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:5-6)
The great Christian writer C.S. Lewis said: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less”. There’s the big difference – It’s Not About You! It’s All About Jesus & Others! When we love our children & parents & give our best for them, sacrificing & setting aside our personal desires, that’s humility! When we bite our tongue, not give our ‘killer retort’ to someone who is wrong & not insist on winning the argument at all costs to maintain the peace, that’s humility in action! When we try to understand & accept the idiosyncrasies of our family & friends, even when they annoy us, that’s also humility! Thinking of ourself less!
Here's a beautiful hymn “Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service” from our JourneySongs Hymnal No 825 to seal in today’s reflection. God bless you!
https://youtu.be/ILelkl7qeuM?si=OsWgFOiggGbAixtf
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Contributor