[stephenkhoo]

Saturday, 29 October, 2011, 30th Ordinary Week, Cycle 1
HUMILITY AND PRIDE ARE NOT INCOMPATIBLE WHEN THEY COME FROM ONE’S REALIZATION OF OUR NOTHINGNESS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: ROM 11:1-2, 11-12, 25-29; LK 14:1, 7-11

Humility, as we all know, is considered to be one of the most important virtues in life. Asian cultures, particularly Chinese culture, emphasize the importance of humility. All religions too advocate that we cultivate the virtue of humility. In the Catholic Tradition, we have spiritual writers that offer us the means of cultivating humility. Some of these methods include a deliberate humiliating of self, or at least the necessity of practicing modesty in speech, words and actions.

Today, in the gospel, we have the teaching on humility by Jesus. However, if we analyze His advice on humility, we cannot but sense something amiss or incongruent in the way humility is taught. Why? Because He seems to suggest that if we want to be exalted, we must pretend that we are the lowest so that, “when your host comes, he may say, ‘My friend, move up higher.’ In this way, everyone with you at the table will see you honored.” Now isn’t this a very subtle and cunning way to get oneself exalted. Certainly, such a person although externally might appear to be humble is really interiorly scheming to be exalted. It is a false humility.

Indeed, such a deceptive means of getting oneself exalted is even worse than those who unabashedly seek to sit at the place of honour because at least they blatantly display their pride. Although misguided, they are at least true to themselves and not behaving like hypocrites. Furthermore, these people can be easily helped because not only do they know that they are seeking for attention and honour but others know as well. However, for those who practice a subtle form of humility, not only do they deceive undiscerning people but they might in the end deceive themselves. And those who deceive others long enough, will one day also begin to believe in their deceptions as well. Consequently, we cannot believe that Jesus truly meant that we behave in such a manner as apparently suggested in today’s gospel.

The truth that we can learn from today’s gospel is that humility is not something that can be cultivated consciously. The moment we try to be humble, we are already proud, since we have exchanged the humility of pride for the pride of humility. In other words, instead of seeking to be exalted because it is not a Christian thing to do, we seek to be great by being humble. In trying to be humble, we are actually pursuing humility like an ambition and indeed even feeling proud of our humility. At any rate, if we know that we are humble, it is already a sign of spiritual pride. Humility is not something that we can say of ourselves, it can only be said of us by others. Self-praise is no praise.

That being the case, we must ask ourselves how we can acquire the virtue of humility without falling into false humility or pride. The way to humility is realization. This is what Jesus meant when He summarized His message, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.” By saying this, Jesus is telling us that whether we are proud or whether we are humble, we will be humbled and exalted accordingly. In other words, pride and humility are two faces of the same reality. Therefore, it is better that one does not seek to become proud or humble.

If this is so, then what about humility? Is there no such thing as pride? The truth is that pride and humility are not much different. Pride is not necessarily un-Christian. In fact, we are called to be proud of ourselves as Christians, as people of the New Covenant created in the image of God and redeemed in the likeness of Christ. Paradoxically, at the same time, we are called to be humble in the fact that we have been chosen by grace not by our merits. This is what Paul is reminding the Gentiles Christians, “Don’t be too proud as to think that you are better than the Jews.” There is no such thing as pride or humility. To be proud or to be humble is an illusion because we believe to be what we are not.

Hence, the way to authentic pride and humility is simply to be ourselves and to be what we are. A truly “proud” and humble person is one who knows his place in life. He does not pretend to be what he is not. If only we seek the place that we really belong, then the question of pride and humility does not enter. Indeed, this is implied in today’s gospel. If we sit at the highest place of honour or the lowest place of honour, then what happens is that the host will sit us at the right place of honour. Note that Jesus did not say that the host would say, “move up to the highest seat.” No, he would only usher us to a higher place of honour, that is, according to our exact position in life.

Consequently, humility is a clear realization of our gifts and our place in life. We do not try to be what we are not or to pretend to be what we are otherwise. Humility is to recognize the state that we are in and learn to accept it graciously. Hence, if we are blessed with certain gifts or talents, then we must praise and thank God for them. And if we are not blessed with some privileges that others have, we must not be envious of them nor even desire them. Being able to know who we are and accept our position in life is therefore simply to be one with ourselves. And if we do not know, then Jesus suggests that we sit at the lowest place so that others who know where we should be can then place us at the proper place where we truly belong. If we can accept where they place us, then we would have gained a true knowledge of oneself.

How then do we acquire such a realization of our place in life? This is where we turn to St Paul in the first reading for guidance. St Paul tells us that firstly, we must realize our nothingness, something which is also hinted in today’s gospel. If Jesus truly wanted us to sit at the lowest place, He is but telling us to realize our utter nothingness. Hence, St Paul warned the Gentiles converts to Christianity not to think so highly of themselves. Without the Jews, they would not be what they were. It was the rejection of the Good News by the Jews that the Gentiles gained from their loss. For, “the Jews are enemies of God only with regard to the Good News, and enemies only for your sake.”

On the other hand, the Jews must also come to realize their nothingness and their lack. Through their rejection of the Good News, they must now also emulate the Gentiles by realizing that they are bereft of the gifts that God has meant for them. Yes, Paul wrote, “Think of the extent to which the world, the pagan world, has benefited from their fall and defection – then think how much more it will benefit from the conversion of them all.” It is St Paul’s hope that the plan of God that the Jews will one day be saved as well, even though they had stumbled. For as Paul declared, “One section of Israel has become blind, but this will last only until the whole pagan world has entered, and then after the rest of Israel will be saved as well.”

Secondly, besides being aware of our nothingness, we must be open to accept the gifts of God. Realizing our nothingness is not the end itself. It is in order that we might realize our dependence on God and His gifts. Once we realize that everything we have are His gifts, then we will not feel more superior to others. Instead, we will be grateful for all that we have and loved as well. This is what Paul meant when he said of the Jews that “as the chosen people, they are still loved by God.” And what is more, Paul says, “God never take back his gifts or revokes his choice.”

Yes, the realization of one’s nothingness and that everything we have are gifts from God is the key to authentic pride and humility. For as Paul said elsewhere in his epistles, the only thing we can boast about is the mercy and grace of God. It is this pride that is bestowed on us by God that can be considered true honour since that honour does not come from us. This pride is received with humility. Hence, pride and humility are not incompatible in the final analysis. What are incompatible with truth and life are false pride and false humility, not pride and humility in themselves.