WORD 2day: Friday, 23rd week in Ordinary time
September 13, 2019: 1 Timothy 1: 1-2, 12-14; Luke 6: 39-42
Humility is an inevitable part of holiness. Holiness never leads one to pride and anything that makes one proud is certainly short of true holiness.
Humility consists of the capacity to take guidance from others. While realising the areas in which one has to grow and taking steps towards that growth is an important part of maturing in one's life, mutual corrections are very Christian ways of growing up too. If one thinks he or she knows every thing and is in perfect control of everything, the person would feel the others are dispensable in life. Pride leads to the despise of the other.
Humility is not an artificial debasement of oneself in any way. It is knowing my real self, accepting it and being at home with it; at home with knowing my imperfections and continuously working on it. While it is absolutely opposed to pride, it is certainly not a belittling of oneself. At times we see pseudo-spiritualities that, in the name of praising God, make of oneself worthless, despicable beings! How can that be, when it is God who has willed us into existence! If we adore God, should we not look at ourselves with a divine dignity?
St. Paul was mindful of his real self all the time. He never thought of hiding his dark past and was never bloating over the glorious state of his present relationship with Christ. In fact his relationship with Christ made him more aware of his real self. In Christ I get to know my real me, not just my past but also my call; not merely the splinters and planks in my eyes but even the blessings and splendours given unto me. That is the real me, the real me that is willed into existence by the Lord!