Today’s reading all speak about humility. Humility is knowing exactly who we are. Pride is thinking that we are someone that we’re not. Humility is all about knowing who we are, not in the world’s sight, but according to God’s judgment. The world looks at a man’s success to determine his worth, and successes are fleeting—just think about Tiger Woods’ last two years, and how quickly the media has turned against their former darling. God does not look at how well or how much we’ve done; His gaze goes beyond our successes (and failures). God peers into our hearts and sees the true value that we have.
Humility does not let us think more of ourselves than we are truly worth. It does not allow us to become puffed up. What’s wrong with focusing on our own importance, goodness, worth, value, etc.? To do so is egotistical and self-centered. Pride shifts the focus of our lives away from others and places it on self. When we are humble, we perceive that the center of the universe is not me—it’s not the ego. When we are full of pride, the sun, moon, and stars all revolve around us, or such is our manner of life. Humility demands that we acknowledge our own lowliness and shortcomings.
Humility also does not let us think less of ourselves than we are truly worth. Humility does not allow us to denigrate the image of God which we bear. It demands that we not condemn ourselves as worthless. This self-loathing is actually a twisted form of pride. How: because the focus remains on self. When a person thinks less of himself than he is worth, his focus is on himself. It’s a subtle shift that is easy to overlook. Think of someone you know who puts himself down, belittles himself; is this done because the focus is on how wonderful other people are, or because attention is centered on self?
Humility is a delicate balance. It does not leave room for a false sense of self, either too high or too low. Pride permits us to depart from the truth about who we are, to the right or the left. Humility walks the straight and narrow way according to the truth.
So why humility? Why does God ask us to walk this tightrope? To live entirely within ourselves—to lead a life of pride, selfishness, the worst part of children and childish behavior—would leave us a very small world. Surely, we all are made with a God-shaped hole in our hearts, but God also made us with a human-shaped hole. We are made to live with each other, to interact with one another, to share our lives together. We are made to love one another. In the garden, “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone’” (Gen. 2:18). God made us for community, not for solitude.
Communal life requires that the ego not be the greatest good. There must be some common bond. If there is no unifying value, something that all the separate egos and selves look at and acknowledge as the greater good, the community breaks down. If there is no absolute truth that exists outside of the individual to which each person may point as a standard, a benchmark, then each person can do what is right in his own eyes.
Christianity says that the only unchangeable standard under which men can unite is God, particularly God as revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. We are all branches of one vine. We ourselves are not the vine, but we are attached to it, supported by the root, sharing our individual lives with one another. We cannot claim to be the center: Christ Himself is the true vine, the heart and focus. Participation in the shared life of the Body of Christ means that we cannot hold ourselves as the foundation and principle.
The humble man does not look to himself to establish his worth—he cares nothing for any human assessment of his value. Man’s valuation is not based on God’s estimation. God knows us down to our essence. But when one person looks at another, he doesn’t really know that person. There are things about me that my own father and mother don’t know, things that I have not spoken out to anyone except God, and that in private. So our value is not set by fellow man. But the humble man listens to God to learn what is his value; he searches out the only Judge who judges perfectly.
Let’s now consider today’s Gospel. It’s important to remember that Jesus is speaking not in plain words, but in a parable. So how is Jesus story of a wedding feast a parable? When we hear it, it appears that Jesus is providing merely utilitarian advice for how people should behave when invited to a wedding feast. His instruction is purposed to reduce the risk of being embarrassed by a faux pas. It seems practical, secular, common.
But Luke tells us that Jesus’ words are not to be taken on the literal level; there is a deeper meaning. Jesus is telling a parable. So we may see figurative meaning in the story, and here is how we may interpret the parable. The host is God, and we are the guests. The wedding feast is the communion of the saints, and the seats are our position in the body of Christ. The host, God, has invited us to join the wedding feast, the communion of saints—the messianic banquet in heaven. As we participate in the communion of saints, which is to say the Church, we should not seek seats that our higher up than our calling, we should not attempt to usurp positions in the Body of Christ. But we should take the place that is lowly, so and allow God to exalt us.
So how do we apply that? Well, we are all called to certain roles in the Church, the Body of Christ. Sometimes all the roles we think of are bishops, priests, deacons, and laity, but there are many more types of members of the Church. And we may discern many types of gifts. There are bishops who are good at administration and others who are better shepherds of souls. There are priests who are great evangelists and those who are excellent reconcilers. There are deacons who are wonderful preachers and others who are superb prayer-warriors. There are laity who are top-notch theologians and those who are loving care-givers. I’ve only given two examples for each order in the Church, but there are as many different types as God has made men.
See, we don’t need to jockey for positions in the Kingdom of God. God has given every one of us a seat, a place, a task, a mission, which is peculiar to us. God didn’t make superfluous, repetitive children. We are all unique in His sight and capable of accomplishing something that no other person can. God has called each and every person to put his hand to the plow. And there is a task that God has called us to that no other Christian will be able to accomplish. If you and I don’t follow Jesus and live as God calls us, it will not get done. Isn’t that awesome (and kind of scary)? You and I, out of all the 6 billion people on the face of the earth, have a unique mission for the furthering of the Kingdom of God. Astounding!
Now this understanding of our position’s uniqueness applies to our humility. The truly humble man seats himself at the lowest place—his own place—, not because he thinks he is worth so much less than others—remember that is a self-centered viewpoint—, but because he is concerned with the value of those around him. Humility does not permit us to stare at ourselves and wonder if we are worth this or that much. Every month when the clergy meet together, Bp. Lipka reviews the 3 Cs. They are pitfalls that will kill the Church, and they have to do with this very issue of true humility. The 3 Cs are Comparison, Competition, and Criticism.
If I am humble and accept my seat, I have no need to Compare myself to… to Compete against… to Criticize…
Since we each have a position that is ours and ours alone, why do so many people try to take someone else’s place? || If I try to take another’s place, I’ll be giving up my own. || There isn’t another person who will fit in my shoes. God has made a seat for us that fits just right, one that exhibits for His glory what He sees in us. Jesus tells us, “In my Father’s house there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you” (Jn. 14:2). Jesus has made a place for you—made for no one else. In my house I have made my bedroom to suit my needs and wants—the bed is rock hard, the dresser is red, there are book shelves, and there are pictures of my nephews and my “only niece.” My room is just for me, and no one else would have it exactly how I like it. In the same way, Jesus has made a place for each of us in His Kingdom.
So this comes back to our working definition of humility: not thinking too highly or too lowly of ourselves. Our proper place is the place that has been prepared for us. If God has prepared what looks like a better place for someone else, we shouldn’t be jealous—it wouldn’t fit us, and God knows it. St. Paul wrote to the Philippians:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Php 2:3ff).
Let us be like our Master, and take on the nature of a servant. As He didn’t consider equality with God something to be grasped, let us not consider equality and position among each other something to be grasped. And thus, as He was made in human likeness, so He shall renew us in His own divine image and likeness.
