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Gospel: Matthew 23: 1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; whoever humbles himself will be exalted,” Jesus says.
What does it mean to be “humble?”
The word humility comes from the Latin humus, meaning earth.
A humble person is well-grounded; their feet are firmly planted, allowing them to stand neither above nor below, but shoulder to shoulder with their neighbor.
They make everyone feel comfortable standing in their own skin.
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I’m sure we can all think of a humble person we know and love.
It’s the spouse who foregoes the last word or the need to be right in an argument in order to preserve peace in the household.
It’s the athlete who gets second place in a competition, but sincerely congratulates the winner.
It’s the dad who foregoes a golf game in order to attend a meeting at church.
It’s the person who quietly drops off a batch of fresh baked goodies for our SPX café; who prepares pasta in our soup kitchen; who washes the linens for Mass.
Anyone who performs a random act of kindness that often goes unnoticed. The humble person doesn’t do it for the recognition anyway; they do it out of love.
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While we may not see all of the little sacrifices a humble person makes for their family, friends, or community, the Lord sees it all and promises that person will be exalted.
I wonder, how might we be humble in our affairs today?
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Image credits: (1) Happy Teachers, Dynamic DGS (2) Ford Madox Brown, Public Domain (3) Differencebetween.com