Humility is the focus of today’s Liturgy. The Kingdom of God grows within the hearts of the lowly, those who long to live in his will. To reveal his glory, the Lord chooses those who are open to his blessings. Bestowing his favor upon them, God forms them as his anawim, those dependent on his favor and faithful to his word.
In today’s first reading, God tells his people to seek humility. It is the humble who will be the Lord’s special remnant people. As Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven” (Mt 7:21). Entering into the Kingdom of God is not a matter of saying the right words or performing certain exterior actions. It is a matter of having a heart like that of Jesus, who described himself as being “meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).
In the second reading, St. Paul explains why God loves humility so much. We need to know that God does not draw us to himself based on any strength or wisdom that we have, but purely out of his love for us. He makes this clear by using the poor, the weak, and the simple to advance his Kingdom in the world, so that the wise and powerful can have the opportunity to humble themselves before him, and so that we never think of his Kingdom as something we can achieve or control. The life of Christ in us is our great treasure and the true subject of our boasting: “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”
The Gospel is the beautiful beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, calling us to be “poor in spirit” because the poor in spirit are blessed. If we are poor in spirit, we will be meek and clean of heart. We will hunger and thirst for righteousness, and we will be peacemakers. We will also mourn, and we will be persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Because our focus is on the Lord and not on ourselves, we will grow in humility and true service to the Lord and to our neighbor.
Today’s Gospel sets up a contradiction for us. Jesus, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, was all-powerful, but he came into the world as a tiny child, born in the humblest of circumstances. As Jesus grew into manhood, he was obedient to his human parents. As an adult he was humiliated, plotted against, horribly scourged, and crucified. We tend to dream of having an “easy life,” of becoming rich and powerful. Yet, the Lord calls us to be poor and to depend totally on him.
There are two kinds of poverty, very different from each other. Physical poverty, in which people lack what they should have as human beings to survive with dignity, is an evil, and we should do everything we can to alleviate that kind of poverty. Spiritual poverty, however, is a good that we must embrace. To be “poor in spirit” is to recognize and accept the fact that we are poor and lowly and that our happiness lies in God alone, the source of all good. If we accept our poverty, it can create in us a powerful openness and trust in God.
The Lord calls us to follow him and the path of poverty he walked during his life on this earth. The more we choose to follow him, the more his life within us grows. It is not an easy road. Being poor and needy will not automatically lead us to holiness. In fact, our insecurities often lead us to think that more is better than less, and that strength is better than weakness. Thus, we tend to resent our neediness in all its forms. We need to pray for the gratitude and humility to accept our weakness, recognizing it as the Lord’s loving work. Then we can rejoice in the fact that in our weakness the Lord is strong, and he is leading us into his Kingdom. Lord, give me the gift of true humility!
In what ways do I struggle to accept my own weaknesses and limitations as opportunities for God’s strength to shine? How can I practice spiritual poverty – placing my trust more fully in God rather than in my own abilities or possessions? What small concrete steps can I take today to grow in humility and in service to others?
Excerpt from The Anawim Way, Volume 22, no. 2. More information about The Anawim Way may be found here.