Sunday Reflections

The Importance of Humility

The readings today remind us of an important characteristic of Christ which all Christians should strive to nurture in their own life, which is humility. Jesus holds this virtue in high regard as we see him praying to the Father in thanksgiving for revealing himself not to those who are proud and learned, but to the weak and humble. Jesus himself is the perfect example of humility, as was foreshadowed in the first reading by the prophet Zechariah, for Christ was the Messiah who came not as a worldly king, but wrapped in swaddling clothes, not on a horse but on a donkey.

Humility bears great importance in the Christian life because a person without humility is prideful, and a person who is proud relies more on oneself than on God. Pride closes oneself to God, as a greater reliance on oneself or one’s abilities turns a person to believe that they don’t need God in their life. On the contrary, child-like simplicity understands that everything they have is a gift from the Lord. They are aware that they are simply stewards of God’s gifts which has been bestowed on them and must rely on God who is greater and wiser than them for all that they need. Only the humble can see that they need the Lord, and in humility ask the Lord to help them carry those burdens.

When we carry our yolk of burdens out of love for Christ, our burdens become light. Only Jesus can lift the burdens we carry, but He can only do that if we humbly go to Him and ask for His help. As He lifts our burdens, He frees us so that we can through the work of stewardship, bring others who are also carrying heavy burdens to Christ. If we are carrying burdens and haven’t brought them before the Lord, let us ask for the humility to do so. Let us also in a special way pray for someone we know who is carrying a heavy burden, that they have the courage to go to the Lord and have their burden made light.

Summary

In the Gospel, Christ gives thanks to the Father for those who are humble for it was to them that the Father was revealing the Kingdom of God to. Humility is an important virtue to foster especially in the work of stewardship, for with humility we can see how much God is generous to us and how much we need Him. With humility, we can ask the Lord to help us carry our burdens, and He will make them light.

https://www.archtoronto.org/stewardship