I’d like to talk to you this evening about humility.
Humility has been much misunderstood and, frankly, is quite unpopular today. We can say, “Pride cometh before the fall,” but to really live that out requires radical commitment—a lifestyle that the world is unable to assimilate. Jesus Christ has given His Church the example to follow and He has indicated the path we must take. The time to humbly seek God is now; God wants you and me to really seek Him; and therefore we must remove whatever blocks us from reaching our God.
The time is now. In our reading today from 2 Corinthians 5, beginning at verse 20… St. Paul addresses us with authority. “We implore you on Christ’s behalf…” He is addressing us in Christ’s stead, as an apostle. Looking down in chapter 6, verse 2, he says, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” This is the day. We cannot have back yesterday; we don’t have tomorrow. What is so pressing? That we “Be reconciled to God.” God has given us the opportunity of salvation through Jesus: “God has made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Nevertheless, this “day of salvation” is not to be taken lightly, for it is the Day of Judgment. Joel writes, “The day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand—a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor will be in ages to come.” The Day of the Lord will see condemnation and mercy. On it, all will stand before the fearful judgment seat of God. Jesus Christ is our advocate. But He is also the Pantokrator, the ruler of all things. But even before this terrifying judgment, we have a choice. God calls us to repentance.
““Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing—grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.””
God calls us to “return” to Him, for we were once wholly His. We are His covenant people; He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep of His hand. We are dear to God, and He earnestly desires our restoration. The Lord is your God! He has called us into covenant relationship with Himself.
What’s more, if we truly return to Him, His mercy is great. When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, God stopped him. He saw that Abraham loved God more than his son, the son of promise. And God provided a ram for the sacrifice. (Gen 22). And when David sinned by calling for a census, and the destroying angel to strike down the people, God restrained the angel at the threshing floor of Araunah. And David came and bought the threshing floor, oxen, and wood, and offered sacrifice to God. God—Jehovah Jireh—will provide a way. We must be willing to take it. This is the time. This is the day.
God is calling you and me. In today’s Gospel reading from the Daily office (Luke 18:9–14), Jesus tells us of a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee excepts himself from judgment: “I thank you that I am not like other men…” But the tax collector sorely feels his connection to sinfulness., beating his breast saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Who was forgiven? Who saw his own poverty of soul? Both men were in the same state before God, but the Pharisee was unable to humble himself to receive God’s mercy. Humbleness requires…humiliation. Humiliation is not popular, it doesn’t sell, it doesn’t have mass appeal. But we must humble ourselves before God, we must judge ourselves now (1 Cor. 11:31), here, so that we will be ready when we stand before God and He judge us.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux when asked about his book On the Steps of Humility and Pride, why it focused so much on pride more than humility responded that he thought that he should focus on what he knew best. St. Bernard understood the primacy of humility in our Christian walk. His exegesis of John 14:6, where Jesus says, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life, shines light on our calling. What is the way? Jesus tells us that he is “gentle and humble in heart” (Mt. 11:29). Humility is the way we must learn from Christ. The food of humility is bitter and purgative. It cleanses us from false illusions about ourselves and opens us to be receptive to greater things. Thus, this way leads us to the truth, which is the light of life, the reward for our humility. The food of truth is sweet, so much so that it seems to be an end in itself. But we cannot allow ourselves to remain here.
We must journey on the way, through the truth, to reach life. Our life is nothing less than knowledge of God, contemplation. This is the only thing that can satisfy man’s desires. Jesus tells us that we must be pure in heart in order to see God. Perhaps the most frequently quoted line of St. Augustine is this: “Our hearts were made for Thee, O Lord, and they shall be restless, until they rest in thee.” Nothing else will satisfy, nothing else will fill us. The food of life is strengthening and fortifying; it alone satisfies us.
Since God will judge us, and since it is really us and not every one else except us to whom God is talking, “What then shall we do?” We must find what controls us. What can you not do without? Pride—do I find myself being inflamed by others? “How dare they do that to me!” Anger—do I resent others and strike out in anger in reaction to their actions? Envy—do I have a hard time delighting in someone else’s good fortune or talents? Do I feel the need to destroy that which I cannot have? Greed—must I grab, grab, grab, everything, even if I don’t need it? Or do I need to waste that which I do have instead of giving it to others? Gluttony—do I seek fulfillment in pleasures of the flesh? Is my god my stomach, or drink, or other material pleasure? Lust—do I entertain unchaste thoughts and desires? Or do I myself act immodestly. Sloth—do I not labor diligently at my work? Do I allow spiritual laziness to inhibit, or reduce my prayer life?
These days, many people are controlled by communication; the need to have information; gossip. I know my problems; and you know yours. But God knows them all. All of these sins are corruptions, good things we put in the place of God. They hinder our vision of God.
So what controls us? And what can we do about it. Lent offers us the opportunity to clear the mists and fogs that blind us. Fr. Larry is about to invite us to the Observance of a Holy Lent. There are tools, methods that we can use to put off those things that distract us from God and draw nearer to Him. They are humbling, all of them, if we take them to heart.
First is self-examination and repentance. We can take time to evaluate the state of our souls. The first step to realizing truth, is seeing—really seeing—the truth of our own selves. This is part of humility; it’s a tough part of humility. Unless I can be honest about my shortcomings, and honest about the true nature and origin of my successes, I cannot be receptive to God’s judgment and mercy. There are many good resources to help you in this self-examination, one of my favorites is the old Episcopal book, St. Augustine’s Prayerbook.
After you’ve examined yourself, if you’re anything like me, you’ll have found some successes…and the rest needs improvement. Don’t hold onto these. Let them go! This is the time to make an appointment with Fr. Larry or the Bishop, or anyone of our other priests, to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. WAIT, don’t all run them down at once! But, seriously, we have the opportunity to receive so much of God’s grace in this sacrament.
I won’t lie and say that it isn’t uncomfortable and that it’s a piece of cake. It’s never easy facing up to my own shortcomings and failings, especially in front of the One Whom I love most of all. But that’s a good thing. I mean your conscience is working. If you didn’t feel sorrow and contrition, it would mean that you were immoral. Remember St. Paul’s words to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 10:13), “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful, he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Can I believe that? Can I really believe that? Do you know what that means? It means that my temptations are no more or less strong than yours, or Fr. Larry’s, or the pope’s, or Joe Six-pack’s. The devil is not assaulting us with anything new! It’s the same old back of tricks that he hasn’t had to change. So don’t think that you’re going to surprise anybody, least of all God. The poison that these sins leech into your soul when you hold them in is not worth it.
We are also invited to prayer. This is a great time to improve your prayer life, or start one if you don’t have one already. There are many devotions that are available. This Lent, may I suggest participating in the Way of the Cross here. Every Wednesday and Friday, you can walk beside Jesus and see how much He loves you.
We will also be called to fasting and self-denial. In fasting, we seek to loosen the shackles with which our bodies bond us. We learn to submit our bodies to our reason. I hate fasting, not so much because of feeling hungry, but because through fasting, I see how much my passions rule my behavior. Fasting brings to the surface what you are usually able to conceal underneath a contented stomach. Learn from what you find when you fast, seek to improve what you see.
Self-denial is extremely necessary today. We want instant gratification, instant satisfaction, instant everything. There are many things that seek to distract us from where our focus should be: on God. Take time this Lent to remove some of the clutter from your life, and from your house.
Last, we will be called to read and mediate upon Scripture. This is how we learn to hear God’s voice. Spend time in the Word. Don’t rush through from verse one to verse last. Make it a goal to digest God’s word better, to become better nourished.
To these, I would exhort you to practice solitude. Be alone with God. God is the Ruler of the Universe, the Maker of all things, the Judge of all men. Yet He has covenanted with you. He desires intimacy with you. Be silent before God. Don’t be afraid to come and remain with Him without any agenda. Don’t be afraid of saying nothing; just listening.
Finally, don’t be overwhelmed. God wants to work with you. He may want to lead me through a period of fasting, to show me my passions and motivations; or I may spend time meditating on the Scripture. I don’t need to do this alone; in fact, I cannot really do any of this entirely on my own. Throughout all of these disciplines, God shows us how necessary a humble heart is. He has given us a most excellent teacher, guide, example, and Savior.
This is the day to humbly seek God, because He wants us, you and me, to seek Him; and so we must remove whatever blocks us from reaching Him. Let us walk in the way of the Cross, in the footsteps of Jesus. Amen.
