Humility
“Ang taong mayabang, tinatamaan; ang taong mapagkumbaba, pinagpapala.” (The proud gets hit; the humble gets blessed.)
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In today’s Gospel, (Lk. 14:1, 7-14), Jesus reminds us to remain humble. “For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
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Pride blinds us; humility enlightens us. A lot of things fall into place, a lot of issues become clearer, and a lot of problems can be solved if we take the road of humility.
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When we give way, God will make a way. Doors open, relationships are healed, breakthroughs happen when we let go, and we let God.
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There is Someone bigger than me! If we have this perspective, if we believe that we are just creatures, if we do not forget that we are just passing by and that we are accountable to a Master, then we can remain humble to God, and to people.
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There are people who are greater, better, wiser, more endowed, more, and more holy than me! This perspective should not make us competitive or envious. Rather, it should make us grateful, as we all are blessed in different ways.
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When we have humility, we can see more clearly, understand more deeply, love more dearly, and live more cheerfully.
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There is a story about a woman who always saw how dirty her neighbor’s laundry was every morning. She would always criticize her. One morning, she was surprised that her neighbor’s laundry was neat and clean. What happened? She realized that she cleaned her own window that morning.
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1 Corinthians 13, 4-7 tells us what love is all about. If we want to know more about humility, we can say: Humility is patient, kind, and not envious; humility is not boastful and arrogant; humility is not ill-mannered and self-seeking; humility conquers anger, and forgets offenses; humility does not delight in the wrong and rejoices with the truth; humility excuses all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things!
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I learned humility most from my parents. They spoke humbly and lived humbly. I never heard them put anybody down. Papa never had enemies. He was always the first to reach out, even to those who have wronged him. Mama taught us to say sorry. She was so humble that she would say sorry to us, her children, if sorry was called for.
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A humble person is:
HONEST. An honest person knows and accepts that God is greater than he/she is, that he/she is not as good as others think of him/her to be.
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UNDERSTANDING. Instead of relying on his/her own understanding, a humble person gives room for God’s wisdom and tries to understand others.
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MODEST. A humble person is not arrogant or boastful in his/her thoughts, words, and deeds.
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BELIEVE. A humble person believes and continues to believe in the goodness of others, and believes that God knows everything and that goodness triumphs in the end.
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LOWLY. A humble person chooses to have a low view of his/her own importance and is open that others are better than him/her.
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EXPRESSIVE. A humble person does not seek so much to impress and to express appreciation, gratitude, and support others.
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As we grow older, may we become less a warrior, and become more of a child, a child of God. May we lay down our arms, let go of our bullets, slow down, and let go of our selfishness and pride.
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A moment with our Lord:Lord, help us to be humble always, and in all ways. Amen.
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