Christian Humility

 Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

27 February 2022

 

First Reading: SIR 27:4-7

Responsorial Psalm: PS 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16

Second Reading: 1 COR 15:54-58

Gospel: LK 6:39-45

 

Reflection

By: Sem. Carlo Alexis R. Malaluan

 

Have you ever heard of the consciousness examen? It is an integral part of the Ignatian Spirituality whereby you will look unto the past experiences of the day, examine each encounter, and recognize God’s presence throughout the day. During the examination, one also comes face-to-face with his own flaws and shortcomings. It is an opportunity to confront oneself in the light of the faith. It requires both honesty and humility.

This Sunday’s Gospel passage offers a concrete example.  Jesus' preaching seems only to be about loving our neighbor:  specifically, a sinful neighbor.  Since the two great commandments of Jesus—to love God fully and to love our neighbor as ourselves—converge in Him, we are not to look down on our sinful brother, but rather to look up at him.

You can only see the woundedness and fragility of the other through the eyes of Christian humility.  Both my brother and I are sinners.  We are equal in this – we both share in this.  But Jesus calls me to serve my brother as if I were serving Jesus Himself. Only if we have the capacity to see through our own wounds, we come to relate to other people’s wounds. If we cannot recognize our own weakness, we remain blind of the plight of others.  For this reason, from my state of sinfulness, I look up at my sinful brother.  From this stance, I may help him remove the splinter from his eye.

There are moments in my life wherein I am overwhelmed with my own share of sinfulness and feebleness. At times, I would deliberately ignore or pretend as if they are not present. When I consulted my Spiritual Director and told him this experience, he consoled me and told me: "That’s exactly what God wants you to experience. How can you imbibe the smell of your sheep if you are not one of them?" It makes more sense now. It is only through looking at our own experiences of darkness can we begin to understand and accompany our brothers and sisters.

This Christian way of looking towards others is not a judgmental act of comparing oneself to them, rather, it is an invitation to grow together in holiness. Jesus invites us to become good trees which bears good fruits. And how should we become good fruit-bearing trees? Jesus calls us to be deeply rooted in him – to go deep into our own dirt of woundedness and brokenness and to allow ourselves to be immersed in God’s transforming mercy and love. The more we go down, the more we produce good fruits. 

Prayer

God, we are Your beloved. Even in our unfinished state, You take delight in what we are and we will become. Help us to claim for our own Your gentle leading in our lives and help us to know that You are always hoping for more for us and from us. Give us the strength and peace of heart to be filled with Your power. Amen.