“Education is bloody business” as John Donne said. Education in the salvation of our souls is the most precious education we can receive. Our Lord educates by the shedding of His Blood. The Church is a teacher of this sacrifice; she does not dialogue for she possesses the Truth. True Catholics do not search for the Truth but they have it given to them in the words and acts of our Lord. Today our souls are given a parable that draws out something which is deep within us but needs to be expressed in clear terms.
St. John Chrysostom offers us an analogy of the two men who went up to the temple to pray. The two men ride in chariots with different results. In the first justice is paired with pride. The Pharisee is not like the rest of men who are sinful to the core while he does everything according to the good book. The Publican, however, rides in a chariot with sin and humility. In the race the chariot of pride and justice fail to make the grade and lose to the chariot of sin and humility. The principle must be evident in our own hearts: the humble accuse self and sin is defeated while pride accuses others and sin increases. The pride of life defeats the holiness which humility offers us. So then let us reflect upon the three aspects of humility that we can practice day after day.
First, humility begins to take hold of the soul when the soul recognizes that it cannot claim anything good and positive as if it were its own. We own nothing but the sins which we commit. All good is the action of God’s grace seeking to draw us back to the kingdom. Daily we must recall that our good thoughts, our positive words or actions all are derived from the presence of God within our baptized souls. Humility reminds us that we are “dust” and unto “dust” we shall return. Therefore we should glory in nothing save our weakness.
Second stage of humility draws us to the recognition that everything good comes from the source of all goodness; we relate all to God. It is the love of God that brought us into existence. It is the desire of God to free us from the effects of sin through the Blood shed upon the Cross of Salvation. When we reflect upon what God has done and continues to do for us then humility is the true response. It is humility that deepens and expands our faith. Today we can trust the goodness and love of God more than ever because the kiss of humility has touched our hearts.
In the third stage of humility we proclaim the reality of our sinfulness and the recognition of our Lord’s constant desire to share His Gifts with us. Now our proclamation is the reality of our lives. I have come to believe in the grace and favor of God for “dirt bags” and the “scum” of the earth. His talents have not been useless in our hearts but they have been invested in our lives and we can magnify the Lord Who has done great things for us.
Now consider our salvation and the chariot of the Publican. Our Lord has entered our weak and frail human nature to prove that humility is the way to the kingdom. His threefold expression of divine love unites in this precious virtue of humility. He did not come to lord it over us but to serve us. His first act of divine love is proclaimed by the angel Gabriel. He became Flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. What humility is expressed in that unbelievable act! Next, He took upon himself our sins and became the greatest sin-bearer that world has ever known. He went to a shameful death upon a Cross to re-bond our hearts to His Sacred Heart. What humility He manifested in that blood shedding. Finally, He humbled Himself to become our eternal food, the Bread of Life.
Dear brothers and sisters seek to daily humble yourself in word, in act and in thought then you will be following the narrow path that lead to eternal happiness. There in that kingdom of the humble we will share and participate in the divine love excelling all our imaginations. God bless us with the virtue of Humility.
In the Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Richard Voigt
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