Humility and Gratitude - signs of a Spiritual person

WORD 2day: Thursday, 24th week in Ordinary time

September 19, 2024 - 1 Corinthians 15: 1-11; Luke 7: 36-50

By the grace of God I am what I am, states St. Paul today in the first reading. That statement brings out two salient features of a truly Spiritual person. The first is Humility; the other quality flows from it - Gratitude.

As we know, humility is a sign that one knows oneself, understands oneself, places oneself in the right perspective and accepts what the Lord has called one towards. It is not abasing or belittling oneself; that would be a misunderstanding and a belittlement of the Creator. Therefore, humility is simple, looking at oneself from the perspective of God!

Flowing directly from humility, is gratitude! The more one is forgiven, the more one loves; because love flows from the goodness that God makes us feel welling up from within us. That is the source of gratitude, feeling the goodness flow from within, well up within, and flowing out of oneself. 

Humility and Gratitude are qualities that are indispensable markers, for a life that wants to define itself with the adjective, "spiritual". A humble person is a grateful person; and a grateful heart is a holy heart. The woman who was forgiven, was offered a totally new life and that made her so exuberantly grateful that she did not hesitate to expess it through all means she thought best. 

A spiritual person is humble and grateful; and a grateful and humble person is definitely a holy person.