Gospel of Luke 14:1, 7-14

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this man,’
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For every one who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Then he said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

– Luke 14:1, 7-14

What It Means To Be Humble

This week’s readings are a good lesson in how to be a humble person.  I know that when I was younger, I thought humility was saying that I was a bad person or believing that others were better than me. 

Humility is seeing ourselves as we really are, which is to see ourselves as fallen individuals desperately in need of God’s grace and mercy. It is not saying that we are less than others or thinking of ourselves as inferior people. 

Humility is also a call to help others get to Heaven while, at the same time, allowing others to help us get to Heaven. I remember hearing that you can tell a lot about a person in how they treat the people that they believe are below them. I think that we are all guilty of this in various ways, but the reality is that we are all equally broken and in need of God’s grace and mercy. We can always learn things from each other and challenge each other to be holier, no matter our position in life.  This happens regardless of how much money we have, the status which we have attained, or the amount of time we spend in prayer. I have personally been pleasantly surprised when someone I perceive to be less intelligent, holy, or “important” than me blows my mind with a personal reflection that I have never had. These moments have always been a lesson for me to grow in humility. 

C.S. Lewis said that aside from the tabernacle, the closest living person in your proximity is the most important and reverent thing that you will encounter in your day.  If you find yourself looking down at others or considering yourself to be above others, reflect on the reading from Mass this weekend to discover ways that you can grow in humility, serve others, and learn from your interactions with others.

6 Ways To Cultivate Humility

This reflection was originally published HERE.

Photo by E. Vitka on Unsplash

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