Becoming small AND large

Our readings today center around humility in our lives – what it means to be humble, and why it matters. The reading from Sirach reminds us that the great should humble themselves to find favor with God. St. Paul tells the Hebrews that they’re called to judgment for their actions before God. And Jesus in the Gospel cautions us to not presume our importance lest we be embarrassed in our arrogance. That’s what we tend to think of when we talk of humility and being humble – it’s about making ourselves small. But true humility isn’t just about becoming small. It’s about opening our eyes to the truth of who we are, who we are called to be, and to living out our part in God’s plan.

We tend to attach great significance to our achievements and circumstances in the world - our job, our intelligence, our material wealth, or maybe our health or appearance. We look to the world for validation of our lives and our accomplishments. We want to feel important – we’re looking to take that place of honor at the banquet table. Jesus’ parable reminds us that we do so at our peril. Because as we all too often tend to forget, all that we have and all that we do – EVERYTHING WE HAVE AND WE ARE IS A GIFT FROM GOD. If we recognize and acknowledge that simple fact, we have no reason to elevate ourselves above others. How can we be anything but humble?

But true humility isn’t just about lowliness – about making ourselves small. It’s about seeking truth, the truth of who we really are. C.S. Lewis described humility as “…not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.” It’s about attempting to see ourselves as God sees us, about being ready to accept who we truly are. True humility requires that we neither over- nor underestimate our worth – that we accept our gifts from God and pay them forward. Because as the second part of our Gospel parable reminds us, true humility by its very nature results in generous, selfless sharing of our many gifts with the truly needy – in true charity.

St. Teresa of Calcutta started her religious life as a teacher in an exclusive girls’ school in India, safely isolated from the poverty and filth outside the walls of the school. But she found she couldn’t ignore the plight of the poor, sick, and dying in the streets of Calcutta. She established a new religious order, the Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor,” and her sisters embrace lives of absolute poverty. In a world focused on greatness, they humbly make themselves small.

But St. Teresa understood the true nature of humility. Mother Teresa used to tell her novices: “If I try to make myself as small as I can, I’ll never become humble. It is humility with a hook. True humility is truth. Humility comes when I stand as tall as I can, and look at all my strengths, and the reality about me, but put myself alongside Jesus Christ. And it’s there, when I humble myself before Him, and realize the truth of who he is, when I accept God’s estimate of myself, stop being fooled about myself and impressed with myself, that I begin to learn humility. The higher I am in graces, the lower I should be in my own estimation, because I am comparing myself with the Lord God.”

Mother Teresa demonstrates what it means to acknowledge and embrace our humility before God, to accept the truth of our calling, and to live a life of selfless love that springs from allowing God to work through us. And of course, we have that most perfect example ever before us in Christ our Lord. Christ’s Pascal Sacrifice represents the epitome of humility – the Son of God, God Incarnate, came down from heaven for us. He allowed himself to be ridiculed, mocked, scourged, and executed. He didn’t have to, but he chose to for our sake. How could there be a stronger example of humility than that? That is the self-sacrifice and humility we are called to emulate. But how do we get there?

All too often we lose sight of the many blessings in our lives. We get caught up in our To Do lists, putting food on the table, or paying our bills – the constant demands of worldly life. It’s easy to get lost. But we ARE truly blessed. Because Jesus sees you not as the world does, but as God does – not as we might become, but as we truly are. And He loves us anyway!

As children of God, we are all wonderfully made. Millionaire or beggar, we all have God-given gifts unique to each of us. But those gifts aren’t just given TO us. They’re given THROUGH us, to be joyfully shared with the world around us. It’s not about what you HAVE - your worldly circumstances. It’s about what you GIVE of yourself.

Look around you – the opportunities are everywhere. A smile for the stranger on the street; taking time for someone who needs to talk, even when you’re tired and frustrated; embracing a job no one wants to do; or simply sharing the joy of Christ’s love with a friend. We ALL have something to give. And we’ve been called to make that gift. Jesus is calling out to you to join him, to take up his yoke and learn from him, to become meek and humble of heart, and share your many gifts with his children in need.

We are called to be SMALL before God, but LARGE to his children in need. So that’s the challenge of our Gospel lesson today: to embrace a truly humble life of service as Christ did, to recognize God’s daily blessings in our lives, and use them to lift up all his creatures – especially those who cannot repay our kindness. Because Christ longs to one day welcome each of us into his Heavenly Banquet, to be able to say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Please, move up and take this place of honor beside me.”