Khiêm tốn là nền tảng của tất cả mọi nhân đức vì sự khiêm tốn giúp chúng ta nhìn thấy và đánh giá được sự việc một cách chính xác, như cách nhìn của Thiên Chúa. Sự khiêm tốn giúp chúng ta có thể học để có được những kiến thức thực sự, về trí tuệ, và tầm nhìn về thực tại một cách trung thực. Sự khiêm tốn giúp chúng ta tự do để yêu thương và biết quên mình mà phục vụ người khác vì phúc lợi cho người khác, chứ không phải tư lợi cho chính mình. Thánh Phaolô cho chúng ta ta một ví dụ và mô hình của sự khiêm nhường trong con người của Chúa Giêsu Kitô là : “Chúa kitô đã trút bỏ vinh quang mặc lấy thân tôi đòi, trở nên giống phàm nhân sống như người trần thế. Người lại còn hạ mình, vâng lời cho đến nỗi bằng lòng chịu chết, và chết trên cây thập giá. ( Phi-líp 2:7-8). Chúa luôn muốn chúng ta là những người tôi tớ như chíng Chúa Giêsu là chỉ biết phục vụ và yêu thương những người khác. Chúa đã ban tất cả những hồng ân của Chúa Thánh Thần cho tất cả chúng ta, những người biết khiêm tốn và tìm kiếm Ngài.
"Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Chúa đã mặc lấy thân phận tôi đòi và trở nên giống chúng con vì lợi ích phần rỗi của chúng con. Chúa đã ban cho chúng con được tự do và Xin Chúa cứu chúng con thoát hỏi sự thống trị của sự kêu ngạo, tự hào, ích kỷ và háu danh. Xin hãy dạy chúng con biết khiêm nhường như chính Chúa đã khiêm tốn và biết yêu thương người khác với tấm lòng quảng đại, từ tâm, vị tha và nhân từ hơn.
Humility is the queen or foundation of all the other virtues because it enables us to see and judge correctly, the way God sees. Humility helps us to be teachable so we can acquire true knowledge, wisdom, and an honest view of reality. It directs our energy, zeal, and ambition to give ourselves to something greater than ourselves. Humility frees us to love and serve others selflessly, for their sake, rather than our own. Paul the Apostle gives us the greatest example and model of humility in the person of Jesus Christ, who emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and ...who humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8). Do you want to be a servant as Jesus served and loved others? The Lord gives grace to those who humbly seek him. "Lord Jesus, you became a servant for my sake to set me free from the tyranny of selfish pride and self-concern. Teach me to be humble as you are humble and to love others generously with selfless service and kindness."
“The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:11–12
Do you want to be truly great? Do you want your life to truly make a difference in the lives of others? Deep down this desire for greatness is placed within us by our Lord, and it will never go away. Even those who live eternally in hell will hold on to this innate desire which for them will be the cause of eternal pain, since that desire will never be fulfilled. And sometimes it’s useful to ponder that reality as a motivation to make sure that this is not the fate we encounter.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us one of the keys to greatness. “The greatest among you must be your servant.” Being a servant means that you put others before yourself. You elevate their needs rather than trying to get them to be attentive to your needs. And this is difficult to do.
It’s very easy in life to think of ourselves first. But the key is that we do put ourselves “first,” in a sense, when we practically put others before us. This is because the choice to put others first is not only good for them, it’s also exactly what is best for us. We were made for love. We were made to serve others. We were made for the purpose of giving of ourselves to others without counting the cost. But when we do this, we do not lose ourselves. On the contrary, it is in the act of giving of ourselves and seeing the other first that we actually discover who we are and become what we were created to be. We become love itself. And a person who loves is a person who is great…and a person who is great is a person whom God exalts.
Reflect, today, upon the great mystery and calling of humility. If you find it difficult to put others first and to act as their servant, do it anyway. Make the choice to humble yourself before everyone else. Elevate their concerns. Be attentive to their needs. Listen to what they say. Show them compassion and be ready and willing to do so to the fullest extent. If you do, that desire for greatness that lives deep within your heart will be fulfilled.
My humble Lord, thank You for the witness of Your humility. You chose to put all people first, even to the point of allowing Yourself to experience the suffering and death which was a consequence for our sins. Give me a heart that is humble, dear Lord, so that You can use me to share Your perfect love with others. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. A Call to Repentance: Isaiah’s words about the forgiveness of our sins are words of comfort. Even if our sins are as many as the Samaritan woman’s or as serious as King David’s, we know that God will forgive us and purify us. Isaiah calls the people to repentance – first likening them to the sinful inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and then showing the way out of sin and to blessedness. Isaiah begins by turning our attention to God’s Word. This is the starting point for our examination of conscience. We need to confront our lives with God’s revelation and with the holiness to which he calls us. We learn to do good by meditating on God’s Word, asking for his guidance in applying this to our lives, and asking for the strength to fulfill this Word. Isaiah then tells us to wash ourselves spiritually by putting away our misdeeds and ceasing, with God’s help, to do evil. God’s Word enlightens us and shows us where we have failed. This is important because sin tends to blind us to our faults and make us concentrate on the faults of others. We neglect the log in our eye while we attempt to remove the speck in our brother’s eye.
2. The Path to Salvation: Isaiah also indicates the path of justice that we are to follow. When we do overcome sin in our lives, we can direct our attention more readily to those who are less fortunate and to those we have hurt. Isaiah links obedience to blessing (eating good things) and refusing to obey to punishment (the sword will consume you). Enlightened by God’s Word we are urged to leave aside sin and pursue justice in obedience. This is an offering of praise, a sacrifice that glorifies God. This is the path that leads to salvation, blessedness, and divine life.
3. Overcoming the temptations of pride and hypocrisy: The Gospel today encourages us to overcome the temptations of pride and hypocrisy. These were the sins of the Pharisees, who trusted in the external observance of the Law and expected everyone to follow their example. The Psalmist criticizes this attitude: Does God delight in animal sacrifice when our hearts are far from him?
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I enjoy contemplating the mysteries of your life. I see the humility of your birth in a stable, the hiddenness of your life in Nazareth, the poverty of your life in Galilee, the misunderstandings you faced, and your desire to save me through your passion and death. You were truly humble and were supremely exalted!
Resolution: Only the humble truly praise and glorify God. The way of humility leads us to glory and exaltation. This was the way of Jesus: thirty-three years of humble solidarity with man, becoming the servant of all, obedient acceptance of the curse of the Cross, transformation of suffering into the salvation of man and the glorification of the Father, and heavenly exaltation at the Father’s right hand. Will we follow the way of Jesus today?
Opening Prayer:
Lord, help me to open my heart in prayer so that I will be won over by your plan of greatness through service—of triumphing through humble, merciful love.
Encountering Christ:
1. Don’t Be Called “Rabbi” and “Master”: Both the word “Rabbi” in Hebrew and the word “Master” as it is used here are words that we would translate as “Teacher.” In Jesus’s time, “Don’t call anyone ‘Teacher’ except the Christ,” was a way of saying that the most important, the greatest teacher in life, was to be the Christ (the Messiah). No other teacher was as important as Christ, and Christ most deserved to be called “Teacher.” Jewish people in Jesus’s time certainly called many people “Rabbi” and “Master”; the Christians continued to do so afterward, but they acknowledged that Christ is our primary Teacher and Master.
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