12-23-2011, 02:31 PM
Thursday, 22 December, 2011, 4th Week of Advent
HUMILITY AS THE GATEWAY TO GRACE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 SAMUEL 1:24-28; LUKE 1:46-56
Christmas is fast approaching. Christ’s birthday is near. Are you excited and looking forward to Christmas, or is Christmas just merely another social celebration or a holiday? If you are not feeling much about Christmas, perhaps you have become jaded with respect to the Christmas celebration. If Christmas is reduced just to an occasion to receive and give gifts, have a nice dinner or a party, or dress up, then Christmas is simply an excuse to depart from the normal routine of life. We would be celebrating ourselves; not welcoming a person into our lives.
The reason for such indifference is clear. We do not know Jesus and we do not know what we are celebrating. God is far away from us still. We do not ponder during this season of Advent on what it means for God to give His only begotten son to us for our redemption. If God is so absent in our lives, it is because God is not real. Our hearts are coarsened by sin and material things that preoccupy our hearts. What we are looking for is fun and pleasure, not peace and joy. Our hearts are barren like Hannah and Elizabeth who were childless, one sterile, the other already advanced in years.
What is lacking in us is the attitude of humility. Without humility, we cannot experience the joy and peace of Christmas. That is why children look forward to Christmas. Jesus in the gospel always reminds us that unless we become like a little child we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. (cf Mt 18:3) To be childlike requires simplicity and trust. But we cannot trust unless we are humble. Children are very receptive. They are grateful for whatever they receive. They have great hopes that Santa Claus would come to bring them gifts. Children desire to be loved. They can be quite contented with some useless presents! It is not so difficult to please them. No wonder, they seem to enjoy and celebrate Christmas more than us, because they are receptive to the love of Jesus and of the love that their loved ones shower on them.
But for us adults, we are too proud. Instead of depending on God, we depend on ourselves. That is what Mary reminds us in the Magnificat. She sang, “He has routed the proud of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.” Those of us who are full of ourselves, either in knowledge or in things, do not depend on God but on ourselves. We think we can do all things and achieve everything through our hard work. As a result, we cannot experience the power of God in our lives. Since we do not need God, and since we think our achievements are purely through our efforts, God does not show us His face.
Hence we find ourselves in a mess. Full of arrogance, we despise others. We are not in good relationship even with our loved ones. We are irritable, angry, impatient and judgmental when others are slow, dull or when they make mistakes. This is because we are so proud of ourselves, thinking that we are so perfect. We do not give allowance to others for their mistakes and are very quick to condemn them. Most of all, because of our pride and presumptuous attitude, we do not acknowledge our sinfulness. Most of us are not even clear of what sins we really have except the vague notion that we are sinners. As such, we do not confess our sins and even if we know them, we are too proud to ask for forgiveness. Instead, we give all kinds of theological excuses that we can confess directly to God and we do not need to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation. At the bottom of our refusal to seek forgiveness from God and from the Church through the sacrament of reconciliation is pride!
In contrast, we see how the grace of God worked so powerfully in the persons of Hannah and Mary. Both women recognized their inadequacy. Hannah knew she was infertile and Mary was a virgin. It would be impossible for either to conceive a child. Yet, in their nothingness, God showed them that because they were humble and receptive, He would do great things for them. As Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour; because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid. Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me.” Humility is the gateway by which God will shower His blessings upon us.
How do we know that we are humble like Mary? Humility is expressed in praise, thanksgiving and gratitude. For this reason, both Hannah and Mary sang praises to God for the wonderful things He had done for them. “My heart exults in the Lord, I find my strength in my God.” To rejoice is always the outcome of a surprise. When we feel that we are undeserving of a gift, we cannot but rejoice. When something is given to us not as a payment for what we have done, but given as a pure gift, we will rejoice. When we receive a favour gratuitously, we cannot but be amazed, like Mary and Hannah. To think that she could conceive a child was unthinkable for Hannah. For Mary, to be called to be the mother of the Saviour made her feel so unworthy of God’s choice, yet God had chosen her to be blessed amongst all women. Are you grateful for the love that God has showered upon you, your loved ones, for success in your career and business, your health and all the many blessings in your life? Or have you taken them for granted and assumed that these are yours and that you have earned them?
Thus, humility leads to gratitude and gratitude leads to giving. Why is Christmas a season of giving? The basis of giving is rooted in the Christian’s contemplation of the wondrous gift of God in His Son. When we think of how much God has loved us and given us His only Son who became a man like us except sin to save us from our misery and lead us to Him by showing us His love, we cannot but also want to share in that love of God. As St Paul says, “If we are ‘out of our mind’, as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Cor 5:13-15) So giving at Christmas is a direct response to this gift of God.
Unfortunately the world imitates this giving without the Spirit and without being rooted in the love of God in Christ. People exchange and give gifts at Christmas, sometimes more as a ritual, a mutual exchange, or even as an obligation, rather than truly giving out of love. Otherwise, why are we calculative in the gifts we give and critical of the gifts we receive? Many of us are not giving what we have to others freely, but rather giving as an attempt to buy love or to avoid unnecessary unhappiness. Giving of gifts is coming not from a heart loved by God but from a heart that is not loved.
When one is not loved, how can one love unconditionally and purely? Hence, most of the time, loving and giving is only confined to our loved ones and not the poor, the underprivileged and the needy. Giving is also often reduced to material giving when sometimes our children and our loved ones, especially the elderly, are seeking quality time with us. They want our company, our presence and to celebrate with us. How often do we substitute relationship and love with things? At Christmas, sometimes the best gift you could give to someone is your time, your listening ear, your heart and your love. These are the ones that Jesus really came for. He came for the poor shepherds, the outcasts of society. He came for the lonely and the lost in our midst. Hence, He chose to be born in a manger. He is not found in the palace, in the hotels, in the lavish food, but in those souls that are without material and human love.
Let us be inspired by the example of Hannah and Mary. When they received the gift of a child, their only thought was to return their child to God. Hannah gave her son to the Lord to serve at the Temple. She said, “If you please, my lord. As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. This is the child I prayed for, and the Lord granted me what I asked him. Now I make him over to the Lord for the whole of his life. He is made over to the Lord.” These words are so poignant when the author wrote, “There she left him, for the Lord.” Of course, Mary too knew that her Son would also be given to the people of God to save them. Both of them were generous. They did not keep the treasure for themselves, even though the child given to each of them was their only child. Instead, they surrendered their child back to the Lord. They knew that their child belonged to God and not to them. They were just guardians, for God was their Father. So great was their humility and gratitude to God. They were in truth imitating the love of God who gave up His Son for us.
Will we also surrender our lives and all we have to the Lord? Are we ready to surrender our intellect, our knowledge, our wealth, our loved ones and our resources for the glory of God by giving them back to the Church and to His people? Have we failed to realize that all we have belong to Him and that in giving ourselves to God and His people in service and love, we find ourselves? As we approach Christmas, we will rejoice and find peace only when we have surrendered our lives entirely to Him, by making ourselves small in His sight and, like His Son, a servant for others. In giving, we receive the greatest of all gifts, the Love of God and His peace and joy in our hearts. These gifts the world cannot give, because only God can give. These gifts will last not just a few days at Christmas, but will be with us all through our lives. So be like Mary and Hannah, glorify the Lord for His wonderful works in your lives and surrender everything back to Him, not grudgingly, but freely and joyfully.
HUMILITY AS THE GATEWAY TO GRACE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 SAMUEL 1:24-28; LUKE 1:46-56
Christmas is fast approaching. Christ’s birthday is near. Are you excited and looking forward to Christmas, or is Christmas just merely another social celebration or a holiday? If you are not feeling much about Christmas, perhaps you have become jaded with respect to the Christmas celebration. If Christmas is reduced just to an occasion to receive and give gifts, have a nice dinner or a party, or dress up, then Christmas is simply an excuse to depart from the normal routine of life. We would be celebrating ourselves; not welcoming a person into our lives.
The reason for such indifference is clear. We do not know Jesus and we do not know what we are celebrating. God is far away from us still. We do not ponder during this season of Advent on what it means for God to give His only begotten son to us for our redemption. If God is so absent in our lives, it is because God is not real. Our hearts are coarsened by sin and material things that preoccupy our hearts. What we are looking for is fun and pleasure, not peace and joy. Our hearts are barren like Hannah and Elizabeth who were childless, one sterile, the other already advanced in years.
What is lacking in us is the attitude of humility. Without humility, we cannot experience the joy and peace of Christmas. That is why children look forward to Christmas. Jesus in the gospel always reminds us that unless we become like a little child we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. (cf Mt 18:3) To be childlike requires simplicity and trust. But we cannot trust unless we are humble. Children are very receptive. They are grateful for whatever they receive. They have great hopes that Santa Claus would come to bring them gifts. Children desire to be loved. They can be quite contented with some useless presents! It is not so difficult to please them. No wonder, they seem to enjoy and celebrate Christmas more than us, because they are receptive to the love of Jesus and of the love that their loved ones shower on them.
But for us adults, we are too proud. Instead of depending on God, we depend on ourselves. That is what Mary reminds us in the Magnificat. She sang, “He has routed the proud of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.” Those of us who are full of ourselves, either in knowledge or in things, do not depend on God but on ourselves. We think we can do all things and achieve everything through our hard work. As a result, we cannot experience the power of God in our lives. Since we do not need God, and since we think our achievements are purely through our efforts, God does not show us His face.
Hence we find ourselves in a mess. Full of arrogance, we despise others. We are not in good relationship even with our loved ones. We are irritable, angry, impatient and judgmental when others are slow, dull or when they make mistakes. This is because we are so proud of ourselves, thinking that we are so perfect. We do not give allowance to others for their mistakes and are very quick to condemn them. Most of all, because of our pride and presumptuous attitude, we do not acknowledge our sinfulness. Most of us are not even clear of what sins we really have except the vague notion that we are sinners. As such, we do not confess our sins and even if we know them, we are too proud to ask for forgiveness. Instead, we give all kinds of theological excuses that we can confess directly to God and we do not need to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation. At the bottom of our refusal to seek forgiveness from God and from the Church through the sacrament of reconciliation is pride!
In contrast, we see how the grace of God worked so powerfully in the persons of Hannah and Mary. Both women recognized their inadequacy. Hannah knew she was infertile and Mary was a virgin. It would be impossible for either to conceive a child. Yet, in their nothingness, God showed them that because they were humble and receptive, He would do great things for them. As Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour; because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid. Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me.” Humility is the gateway by which God will shower His blessings upon us.
How do we know that we are humble like Mary? Humility is expressed in praise, thanksgiving and gratitude. For this reason, both Hannah and Mary sang praises to God for the wonderful things He had done for them. “My heart exults in the Lord, I find my strength in my God.” To rejoice is always the outcome of a surprise. When we feel that we are undeserving of a gift, we cannot but rejoice. When something is given to us not as a payment for what we have done, but given as a pure gift, we will rejoice. When we receive a favour gratuitously, we cannot but be amazed, like Mary and Hannah. To think that she could conceive a child was unthinkable for Hannah. For Mary, to be called to be the mother of the Saviour made her feel so unworthy of God’s choice, yet God had chosen her to be blessed amongst all women. Are you grateful for the love that God has showered upon you, your loved ones, for success in your career and business, your health and all the many blessings in your life? Or have you taken them for granted and assumed that these are yours and that you have earned them?
Thus, humility leads to gratitude and gratitude leads to giving. Why is Christmas a season of giving? The basis of giving is rooted in the Christian’s contemplation of the wondrous gift of God in His Son. When we think of how much God has loved us and given us His only Son who became a man like us except sin to save us from our misery and lead us to Him by showing us His love, we cannot but also want to share in that love of God. As St Paul says, “If we are ‘out of our mind’, as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Cor 5:13-15) So giving at Christmas is a direct response to this gift of God.
Unfortunately the world imitates this giving without the Spirit and without being rooted in the love of God in Christ. People exchange and give gifts at Christmas, sometimes more as a ritual, a mutual exchange, or even as an obligation, rather than truly giving out of love. Otherwise, why are we calculative in the gifts we give and critical of the gifts we receive? Many of us are not giving what we have to others freely, but rather giving as an attempt to buy love or to avoid unnecessary unhappiness. Giving of gifts is coming not from a heart loved by God but from a heart that is not loved.
When one is not loved, how can one love unconditionally and purely? Hence, most of the time, loving and giving is only confined to our loved ones and not the poor, the underprivileged and the needy. Giving is also often reduced to material giving when sometimes our children and our loved ones, especially the elderly, are seeking quality time with us. They want our company, our presence and to celebrate with us. How often do we substitute relationship and love with things? At Christmas, sometimes the best gift you could give to someone is your time, your listening ear, your heart and your love. These are the ones that Jesus really came for. He came for the poor shepherds, the outcasts of society. He came for the lonely and the lost in our midst. Hence, He chose to be born in a manger. He is not found in the palace, in the hotels, in the lavish food, but in those souls that are without material and human love.
Let us be inspired by the example of Hannah and Mary. When they received the gift of a child, their only thought was to return their child to God. Hannah gave her son to the Lord to serve at the Temple. She said, “If you please, my lord. As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. This is the child I prayed for, and the Lord granted me what I asked him. Now I make him over to the Lord for the whole of his life. He is made over to the Lord.” These words are so poignant when the author wrote, “There she left him, for the Lord.” Of course, Mary too knew that her Son would also be given to the people of God to save them. Both of them were generous. They did not keep the treasure for themselves, even though the child given to each of them was their only child. Instead, they surrendered their child back to the Lord. They knew that their child belonged to God and not to them. They were just guardians, for God was their Father. So great was their humility and gratitude to God. They were in truth imitating the love of God who gave up His Son for us.
Will we also surrender our lives and all we have to the Lord? Are we ready to surrender our intellect, our knowledge, our wealth, our loved ones and our resources for the glory of God by giving them back to the Church and to His people? Have we failed to realize that all we have belong to Him and that in giving ourselves to God and His people in service and love, we find ourselves? As we approach Christmas, we will rejoice and find peace only when we have surrendered our lives entirely to Him, by making ourselves small in His sight and, like His Son, a servant for others. In giving, we receive the greatest of all gifts, the Love of God and His peace and joy in our hearts. These gifts the world cannot give, because only God can give. These gifts will last not just a few days at Christmas, but will be with us all through our lives. So be like Mary and Hannah, glorify the Lord for His wonderful works in your lives and surrender everything back to Him, not grudgingly, but freely and joyfully.