DAILY HOMILIES #humility

And the secret of life is this: when you help someone carry his cross, yours become lighter. If you think life is hard, look around you and you will see those dreaming to be given twice of your problems in exchange for theirs. Be like Mary, reach out, visit, help, don’t be self-centred.

Since truth is bitter, whenever we are told the truth, it tends to sound like an insult to us. No one is perfect. You are not always as good as you like to assume. Be humble, be willing to learn.

: “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” The key to greatness is to serve others.

So, how do we win quality souls for God’s kingdom? Our three readings today speak in favour of love; loving without discrimination, loving our enemies and loving others just as Jesus loved us.

A servant can never be greater than the Master. Let us shun every form of pride. Let us avoid taking the glory during “testimony time.” It is God who has done it, we only joined the person to pray, we are not the cause of the miracle and we dare not boast about it. Jesus says: “So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” (Luke 17:10).

Never fall into the temptation of taking the easy path. In life, there are no short-cuts. Can you imagine being operated upon in a life or death situation by a doctor who cheated his way through school? Just as there is always a price to pay, there is a prize (reward) that comes with every suffering we face in life.

Knowing the weaknesses of others should not make us puffed with pride, it should make us think of ways to help them up. This requires humility; humility to know that your level in life came not by your power but by the grace of God and others who helped you in the past.

If you ever find yourself in a position of service, consider it a privilege, an opportunity to improve yourself, to learn and to grow. Serving others helps you to understand people, it makes you discover your talents and acquire new skills.

“No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven.” (John 3:27). How often do we remember this? How often do we ministers of God remember that we must decrease and allow God to increase in the hearts of our flock? How easy it is to hear terms such as: “My ministry, my altar, my church”, “I am in charge here.” etc.

Right from the time of King David, God already had the coming of Jesus Christ in mind. When we really consider the promise made to David, (that his throne shall be established forever), we cannot but agree that this promise was only fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The question is: “What is it about David that made him so pleasing to God?” The answer is our first lesson for today: Humility.

If God could “forget” His greatness for my sake, why can’t I learn to bring myself down, why can’t I humble myself as a child in my dealings with others? Pride is really a blinding sickness. Not only does it make you blind to the greatness of God, pride makes you believe you are God.