I remember that as the years went on, I became known for being in choir, performing in musicals. I also started to see that I was good at public speaking and that gained me more kudos around my peers and being a kid who had only a few friends in high school, I loved it and was more than happy to show I was being cheered on by the masses. By the end of high school- I was one of those people who either was loved by people or was accused of being falsely loved for the wrong reasons- either way, I loved it and I lapped it up.
Then on top of this, I joined a youth group where people really were interested in who I was and what I was doing- I seemed to be unstoppable, seemed to have it all and confidence was abounding, or so I thought. One day however, I remember being at a Catholic event and words similar to this were said...
Being a child of God means being humble, being like the saints and seeing yourself as less than others.
At first, I thought that this was rather strange- I mean, God gave me talents to do good things, right? So why should I see myself as lesser than others?
But the more I read the bible, the more this speakers words ran true. I can't even remember today who that person was, but I can remember those words and the fact that as I searched the bible afterwards for clarity, there seemed to be truth to what was being said. Things like, the first shall be last and you should not try to pull the splint out of your neighbours eye without pulling the plank out of your own first only seemed to justify this idea.
And so, for many years after- I always tried to think of myself as less than others. That there was always someone who could do something better than me and so unless I really needed to, I shouldn't shout my abilities above others- just go about doing things and don't make a scene of greatness.
I found it really hard to accept accolades of praise as I didn't feel humble when I did, I also found it really hard to strive for goals as I feared I wasn't following my faith by doing that- as I was putting myself ahead of others.
The truth, as I now know is- that's not humility! God gives us gifts and talents for a reason, to use them and to make the world a better place. He thinks we are the most special people in the world- you want proof- read Psalm 139. Why should we think any less of ourselves if God doesn't?
But then you might ask, what is true humility? What is meant by readings such as the one in today's gospel that say...
"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" - Matthew 23:12
True humility is when we realise that the talents we have are given by God and that we are nothing without him. It's knowing that if someone gets an opportunity ahead of us, we need not be bitter or upset that we missed out, but rather realise that God gives us all and our time will come when He decides it is the right time.
Humbling ones self also means realising that we are in no way better than anyone else. That doesn't mean thinking less of ourselves- but it does mean that we accept that we have no right to say we are greater than another just because we can do something better than them, go to mass more than they do (see last weeks piece for more info) or find it easier to live a faith filled life at this time.
We are allowed to, in love, show people the opportunities that lie in a life lived in Christ as we experience it, just as Jesus did. We are not allowed to, as the pharisees did, condemn those who don't do what we say - for God loves all and judges all in his own way, one that we will never know or understand until after our time on earth is done. Besides, every person has unique gifts and talents they are good at.
Humility helps to realise all these things as it allows us to see that we are no greater than anyone else when it comes to salvation- and while for some that may a hard pill to swallow, for me, I find that so comforting. It means that while I can admire saints like St Rose of Lima who wore a crown of thorns on her head and slept in a hut on a box of broken tiles and spent days in adoration, I know that I don't have to do all that to be saved by God- I just need to do what he calls me to do and use my gifts and talents for his work.
By being truly humble- that is, seeing ourselves a gift from God, living out our God-given gifts and talents to the best of our ability in all we do and not lauding that over others- we can become not only fine examples of Christ to others, but also inspire them to go out there and be the best person they can be as well- and in turn inspire many more people to do the same.
Till next time...
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