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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time,
Cycle C
St. Mark Church, Fallston
August 28, 2016
Humility:
Placing God and Others First
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The
Fine Art of Small Talk
Debra Fine offers a highly
successful seminar called The Fine Art of
Small Talk.
Her seminars attract many
well educated professionals who often cringe at the thought of having to make
small talk in social settings.
Debra Fine has an interesting
insight into the art of chitchat. She says that to be a good conversationalist,
we need to focus the spotlight of attention first on others, not on ourselves,
and that we hold it there for a while.
A good conversationalist
always lets others know that they have our undivided attention. Having our
attention begins the process of a relationship.
Then, after others feels that
we are interested in what’s going on in their lives, they will usually turn the
spotlight back to us and we’ll have a chance to share something about ourselves.
What Humility Is Not
Without intending it, that
seminar on The Fine Art of Small Talk contains
a significant insight into humility.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus
says: “Those who exalt themselves shall
be humbled and those who humble themselves shall be exalted.”
The OT wisdom writer says a
bit of the same, “The more we humble
ourselves, the greater we are.”
So, while the scriptures
highlight the virtue of humility, they also raise the question as to just what
humility is.
Humility is not trying to
come across less skilled than we really are or that we put ourselves down and
feel that we are less than others.
What Humility Is
Instead, humility has more to
do with our center of attention.
1st it means that
in relationship to God, we recognize that we are less, but that we are also
loved.
So in this regard, our focus
needs to be on God and not on self — the one created, needs to focus on the
Creator.
2nd humility means
that in our human relationships, we recognize that each of us is of equal value
and dignity.
Again, because the love of
God calls us to take the first step in reaching out and relating, our focus,
again, needs first to be on the other person and not on ourselves.
So insight here is that the
virtue of humility is really about our center of attention, that our center of
concern is first on God, then on others.
Not Easy Thing to Do
Let me quickly add:
Ø It’s not easy for shy folks to turn to another.
Ø It’s not easy for chatterboxes to listen to the other
person.
Ø And it’s not easy for someone who is driven by
personal goals to accomplish, to just sit back and first listen.
Making God and others first,
as our center of attention, takes constant effort because so much in our human
nature drives us to do the very opposite.
Application
Let’s look at a few examples.
Young children with their
toys have a good training ground for learning humility. By sharing toys, they
develop the ability to be friends.
Our encouragement helps them
to focus their spotlight of concern on others, rather than themselves. That
helps them to become humble persons.
Husbands and wives, or two
adult friends, also have opportunities for humility. When we see one another
after a hectic day or week, you might first be tempted just to unload and dump.
Instead, you might first
invite your spouse or friend to share how their day or week has been. This
again recognizes them as equally valuable and that is what humility is all
about.
A final example might apply
to us here at Mass. In our hour at church are we more interested in what God
wants to say to us or in what we want to say to God?
Also, do our prayers include
the needs of our bigger Church and world and community, or simply our own
personal needs?
Again, humility is putting God
and others at the center of our attention.
Conclusion
As paradoxical and as
contradictory as it may sound to our ears, the words of Jesus will ring true
when we practice humility:
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but
the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
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