Fourth of Year A
January 2011
The theme today is humility and as we all know humility is truth.
I have spoken about humility on many occasions. Today we approach it from another angle.
The Bishop is coming here on Oct. 29-30 for an official visitation. He has done this once before, soon after he became bishop. The reason is to acquaint himself with the Parish and the workings of the parish and to meet the priest and people of the parish and talk to them and encourage them.
So when he comes and asks me how things are going I will tell him how busy I am and how much work I do and how well I have the parish going. I will tell him that after many years hard work I have a strong vibrant, welcoming community, who get on well together. I will tell him how I have trained a very successful and dedicated group of Eucharistic ministers and readers. How I have organised the church carers and flower arrangers so successfully. How I have started and run a very successful R.C.I.A. programme, Confirmation and first Holy Communion preparation programmes. I will tell him how well I run the finance committee and handle the parish finances. I will tell him all about the Pastoral council which I have run so successfully and efficiently. I will linger on how well I keep the parish buildings and surrounding grounds with occasional help from some parishioners. I will tell him how well I run the care group and the fair trade programme. I will dwell on how well I have organised the choir and music group and what a great job they do under my supervision. I will dwell at length on the amount of effort and work I put into the organising and running of the successful children’s liturgy, web site, rotas, etc. etc.
I have told the bishop the truth but not the whole truth.
Here is another similar piece.
‘Two people went up to the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
Here again the Pharisee spoke the truth but not the whole truth.
I spoke the truth when I told the bishop that the parish was going well. I did not speak the truth when I attributed this to myself. I neglected to say that ninety five percent of the work and effort came from members of the congregation (and I didn’t even mention God).
The Pharisee spoke the truth when he said; ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But he did not speak the truth by taking the credit to himself. Only by the grace of God was he able to do this.
Humility has nothing to do with downgrading oneself. It has nothing to do with having a poor opinion of oneself. It is not in any way connected with an inferiority complex or being riddled with guilt.
A truly humble person is delighted with them self. Has great respect for them self. Values them self. Would not wish to be any different.
Everything they have is a great gift from their God and is accepted and cherished as such.
As Mary said in the Magnificat; ‘from now on all generations will call me blessed for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.’