Humility

I once heard a seminarian tell the story of a talk given by the head of a seminary.

“Gentlemen, the Holy Father is the 'Servant of the Servants of God.'

“If the Holy Father is the 'Servant of the Servants,' then I am nothing.

“And gentlemen... if I am nothing... you are less than nothing.”

The head of that seminary probably had many admirable qualities, but the story does lend itself to the stereotypical image of a portly, haughty churchman, dressed in high-church finery, pontificating abstractly about the virtues of poverty, simplicity, and humility.

Of course, religiously-themed sins against humility are not restricted to the high-church set. We can all become puffed up within ourselves and fall from grace: from the poor backwoods preacher to the verbose pseudonymous blogger.

On the other hand, there is a false humility that is used as a cloak for cowardice.

We may become so focused on our faults and limitations that we refuse to step forward and speak the truth of the Gospel as Christ commands us.

We may stand "humbly" by while the voices of decadence, violence, and selfishness run riot in the world around us, dominating the culture and luring our children into the gathering darkness.

In the eight verses of today’s Gospel, our Lord is twice described as teaching with authority: not cowering behind abstractions, but confronting evil directly.

To be sure, Jesus is Lord – we are not.

If we tried to rely only on our own power (apart from Christ), we could not hope to stand against the evil around us – seen and unseen.

If we tried to rely only on our own virtue and wisdom (apart from Christ), we could not hope to teach anyone the way to everlasting life.

But as it is, we have been commanded by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to preach his Gospel to every creature, to confront evil, and to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Moreover, we have the obligation of teaching and protecting the children entrusted to us, individually and collectively.

So, we must stand up, we must speak out: not from our own virtue, opinions, or feelings, but thinking and acting from true humility, relying only on the authority, the truth, and the power of Christ.