The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity highlights the trait of humility. The Epistle from Ephesians 4:1-6 exhorts believers to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." The Christian way of life is based on the divine call to believe in and follow Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 4:2-3, this way of life embodies humility, patience, and loving forbearance.
The second part of the Sunday Gospel, Luke 14:7-11, also teaches about pride and humility. Our Lord has noticed how people try to claim the best places at dinners. He responds with a short parable encouraging humility. Christ summarizes the point in Luke 14:11, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
This principle certainly applies in social life, but more importantly, it has deeper moral and spiritual implications. It applies to self-righteousness and spiritual pride. All of us tend to feel superior in some ways. At times, we all confuse our personal wishes or preferences with faith or with holiness. Ironically and sadly, sometimes Christians can be proud of being humble.
So we always need to seek God's grace to pursue a delicate balance. On one hand, we should be people of strong convictions who hold fast to Scripture and our religious heritage. We need to keep pursuing high standards of doctrine, worship, and morality. On the other hand, we must avoid exalting ourselves or being arrogant. We need to be humble before God, in our relationships with other Christians, and even in respecting the human dignity of non-believers. True humility is an attitude rooted in the Gospel.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was humble without being weak in His convictions. He always spoke the truth in love. But we often struggle to keep strength and humility, truth and love, in the right balance. As sinful creatures, we make mistakes in the ways we express them. Nevertheless, with divine help, we keep looking to Jesus and praying for grace to grow in Christ-like humility.
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