Second Week of Advent: "HUMILITY--A MOST DIFFICULT THING"

One more powerful than I will come after me. I am not fit to untie His sandal straps. (St. John the Baptist)

What is the most difficult thing you ever had to do in your life?

Upon hearing this question, some people might reminisce the moment when they had to make a life-changing decision; some might even cite their greatest achievement, or their most recent development in their respective leisure pursuits. Most people would rack their brains for something worth sharing; something people would remember even weeks from the conversation—I guess for some people, finding an answer to the above question is the most difficult thing they ever had to deal with yet.

Permit me to do so, but I would like to answer in behalf of most people out there who could not find a rather personal approach in tackling this question.

What is the most difficult thing you ever had to do in your life? Simple: Being HUMBLE.

Oh yeah, that’s difficult, some of you might muse. But then again, it ain’t as difficult as the time when I… (gibberish)

Cut the swagger. Now I see you really have a difficult time doing so—you know, being humble and all that stuff.

I think difficult is even an understatement. But then, it was never easy.

I don’t how the case might have been, but I was always wondering about how and why pride has become second nature to man. We’ve always had our egos to protect; our possessions to brag about; our supposed infallibility to assert. Every day dealings are sickening interplays of someone’s pride with another’s, with intermittent interludes of pretentious modesty. Why do we keep doing this?

Let’s trace back the long history of man, back into the days of our symbolic parents, Adam, and Eve. Wasn’t it pride that moved them to sin in the first place? Wasn’t it their desire to surpass God the cause of man’s fall?

We’ve always had this overwhelming feeling of self-importance. We’ve always held on to power if we’re given the chance to possess it; never yielding to anything that would challenge our clout. Wasn’t it this pride that brought forth the countless wars that spilled the blood of hundreds of millions of people across the span of our species’ existence?

We have never compromised our self-righteousness for the sake of anyone, even our loved ones. Isn’t it pride that is slowly dissolving our homes into mere social systems that can disintegrate easily whenever a compromise cannot be settled just as to please the sensibilities of the other? It’s funny how it is much easier to nurture an imaginary ego than to lower self in pursuit of forgiveness.

I may be a critic, but I’m no hypocrite. Yes, I oftentimes find myself in situations where a display of egotism is inevitable and downright gratifying. Like, who wouldn’t gladly flaunt their successes to the utter amazement of everyone within earshot? Who would easily give up his own ideals at the expense of others’, and at the expense of his own dignity?

Some people, in malicious pretence or just in desperation for a noticeable external manifestation, claim, “I AM HUMBLE”. Yet, in so doing, they have already made a proud person of themselves. What the heck… isn’t there a shortcut towards meekness?

Humility—a very difficult trait to succumb to indeed.

Now, as we prepare the way for the coming of the Lord, we are called to practice humility. I believe that humility is the most important requisite to fully and genuinely worship God. For what is a man’s worship when He does not humble himself to the greatness of the Lord?

Man has never seen such a quintessence of humility as the Lord Himself. Who would ever think that God, someone who created us and is most superior amongst all of us, willingly became human, to be persecuted and to be put to death for our salvation? This fact is beyond the comprehension of our mortal minds. Yet, sometimes we choose to ignore the essence of all His sacrifices. Instead, we shrug it all off, unmindful of His sufferings, but heedful to our personal wants and caprices.

Let us remember that there is someone greater than us in all aspects; let us remember that we have a God who is an overseer of all things here on Earth; let us remember that we are held closely in the hollow of His hands, forever cherished.

Let us bask in God’s greatness, rather than our own. Let us recognize our need for Christ. Let us be cognizant of God's presence in every facet of our being. Let us remember that in this infinite universe, we are but a speck of dust, unworthy of greatness, insignificant to the whole creation.

For what is the cause for us to be proud of?

Now, with all humility, let us call out to the Lord:

Show us, O Lord, Your KINDNESS
 and grant us Your SALVATION.

 

Cry for Humility by Christ Our Life