In our Gospel reading today, we are cautioned against the pitfalls of overestimating self-worth, perhaps even to the point of displaying arrogance. Our Lord uses a parable regarding proper prudence to be considered when conducting oneself at a wedding banquet. It is a caution about overestimating our stature, abilities, and gifts. This is something that can most certainly lead to embarrassment, and perhaps more importantly if not called out, to a more persistent overinflated self-worth that does not leave the appropriate room for perceiving the need for improvement. In short – for a conceit that might permeate both our human personalities and our spiritual selves.
The word humility is not a popular one in our society, primarily because we often don’t understand it. We have developed this perception that humility is either related to continual self-degradation, or worse to the need to self-denigrate only for the purposes of having others correct us so that we can receive some sort of positive feedback – this is in fact false humility when we fish for complimentary feedback in this way. In either case we have gotten it into our heads that to be humble means to take on a dreary countenance and “woe is me” attitude about ourselves. This is completely wrong and needs to be corrected to really grasp much of what is spoken of in the Gospel messages, as humility is a consistent call for all of us. True humility simply means being honest with ourselves and with others about what we bring to the table as human beings. What our strengths and weaknesses are, and how we see ourselves fitting into the picture based on that honest assessment. If I am a good mechanic, but a lousy carpenter, perhaps I will not volunteer to do framing work at Habitat for Humanity, when there is also a need to have some of the cars repaired for parishioners who do not have the means to do so themselves. I am no better or worse than the fellow doing the framing, I am simply blessed with a different talent that I acknowledge and apply where it will help others. Or perhaps I need to acknowledge my own shortcomings with respect to my prayer life. I do not berate myself for it, I simply know that there are others who seem to do better in this area than I do, and so I am humble (honest enough with myself) to seek their counsel and try to improve in this area.
When we can apply honest self-assessment, and then let it steer our actions, we can then make ourselves more useful to those around us, and to our Lord. There is no one that cannot become a useful implement to our Lord, because the needs of those He watches over are so great and varied that at one point or another pretty much everyone’s skills can be tapped into. More importantly, our willingness to humbly participate at whatever level our Lord deems appropriate shows a healthy submission to God’s will, and places us in the right frame of mind to “serve rather than be served” just as our Lord did. I think we sometimes forget that with service also comes a connectedness that will otherwise be missing from our lives if we stay on the sidelines. If we truly want to feel part of the body of Christ, we need to become involved, and while it may sometimes initially seem like more of a commitment than we would care to take into our busy schedules, I can absolutely promise you, once you try it, you will wonder why it took you so long to do so.
I will leave you with one final thought. There is no humbler creature in God’s kingdom than the ant who makes his way back and forth each day working for the colony he is part of. He risks being stepped on, predated upon, or perhaps just ignored. Yet none of this matters to him because he is content with his contribution to the good of others and his role in the world that God made. He knows peace through honesty and contribution, and a lack of self-focus that is not neglect, but simple acceptance of his tiny place in the world. He seeks no higher place at the table, yet how often is his example cited (just like here) as one to be emulated. We should all be so fortunate.
The Deacons Bench 