Weekly Catholic Bible Study

Oratory of Divine Love Reflection 787: Humility (Zechariah 9: 9-10 ;  Romans 8: 9, 11-13 ; Mathew 11 : 25-30)

 

[Zechariah]

Thus says the LORD: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the warrior's bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

 

[Romans]

Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

 

[Matthew]

At that time Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

 

Reflection

 

Fellow pilgrims, the readings remind us of the Christian virtues of humility and peace. As it is, the 1st reading says that the Messiah will come, not riding like a mighty king, but riding on a donkey as one who serves; and all who lives by the precepts of this humble Messiah will experience his peace: “Behold: your king is coming to you, a just savior is he, humble, and riding on a donkey… and he will proclaim peace to the nations” (Zec 9:9-10). St. Paul saw this humble life as the life in the spirit, which is at tension with the life in the flesh (Rom 8:9,11-13). But as Jesus said, God loves this humble or lowly living, hence he lifts up the humble by revealing his knowledge, power, and peace to them (Mt 11:25-30). God does not treat the proud the same way (Lk 1:51-52).

 

While answering that humility is a virtue, and explaining the type of virtue it is, St Thomas said that two virtues are necessary with regard to the difficult good; and these are the virtues of humility and magnanimity. And, while it belongs to humility to temper and restrain the mind, lest it tend to high things immoderately, it belongs to magnanimity to strengthen the mind against despair and urges it on to the pursuit of great things according to right reason (cf. Aquinas, T., S.T., II-II, Q.161, art.1). By this he places the importance of humility as the virtue that must manifest in one’s life and in all of one’s activities.

 

Now, when Jesus said the prayer of thanksgiving for the success of the disciples’ mission, thanking God the Father for hiding the truth of the kingdom from the learned and clever and revealing it to mere children (Mt 11:25), it does not mean that God wants us to be stupid and intellectually naive. He is not condemning intellectual pursuit but rather he condemns intellectual pride and arrogance. He is not linking faith with ignorance, but he is linking faith with lowliness and humility, which are associated with openness, trust and simplicity, as exhibited by children (Mt 18:4). This kind of life and attitude was what Jesus showed as God’s Son who humbled himself and became obedient to the will of the Father, even to dying on the cross (Phil 2:6-11). It is when we possess those childlike qualities that we are able to come to Jesus as we labor and feel burdened, so that we may enter into a personal relationship with him and thus experience the peace which the world cannot give (Jn 14:27). Thus, Jesus is asking us to become his disciples, who are moved and motivated to do only the will of the Master as he did the Father’s will, by living in the spirit and not in the flesh.

 

So, Jesus invites us to follow him in humble obedience, with our material and spiritual wealth, just as he, the Word, manifested the Father, his love, and his kingdom, in a humble and obedient way. This is how we gain true peace. True peace does not always come with money and material things, not because money is evil, since the scriptures say that it is the love of money that is the source of all kinds of evil (1 Tim 6:10), rather true peace of mind comes with the complete humble obedience to the word of God, trusting the loving presence and care of God for us.

 

Hence, Paul reflected that when we live in the spirit according to the precepts of God, we possess the Spirit of God and we then belong to Jesus; and this is when we gain the peace that the world cannot give (Rom 8:9&11).

Finally, we note again that God will never abandon us as we undergo life trials and challenges, especially when we united them to the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus invites us to bring our burden and yoke to him, yoke ourselves to himself, and then he will help us carry them (Mt 11:28-30). He knows that we are not able to navigate this world and its vicissitudes alone. We need the help of another person who is yoked together, to help carry the demands of life, especially as we know that sorrow and pain shared is sorrow and pain reduced. So, we are reminded to bring to God our difficulties and struggles, and those of our loved ones in prayer. He is kind, gracious, merciful, and compassionate towards all his works, as the psalm says (Ps 145:8-9). Again, let us be

humble and seek God’s help, as well as the help of others; remembering the important lesson of humility noted in the words of the Psalmist: “I will run the way of your commands when you give me a docile and humble heart” (Ps 119:32). Peace.

 

Fr. Francis Chukwuma

 

Prayer: “O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled...
From the desire of being honored...
From the desire of being praised...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted...
From the desire of being approved...
From the fear of being humiliated...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes...
From the fear of being calumniated...
From the fear of being forgotten...
From the fear of being ridiculed...
From the fear of being wronged...
From the fear of being suspected...

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I...
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease...
That others may be chosen and I set aside...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should...

 

 

Quote from a Saint: “The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit.”--St. Anthony Padua

 

Questions for reflection:

1. Is humility a virtue that you struggle with?

2. Do you struggle with pride?

3. Have you ever considered that you need to be magnanimous? Would you consider yourself a magnanimous person?

4. How can you better practice the virtue of humility?

5. Are “moved and motivated to do only the will of the Master as he did the Father’s will, by living in the spirit and not in the flesh”?

6. Do you experience true peace in your life? Are you trying to live your life in a way that will lead you to the true peace that Jesus makes available?

7. Have you ever struggled with feeling like God has abandoned you?

-Benjamin and Kristen Rinaldo, CfP