HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF ADVENT – CYCLE II
HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF ADVENT – CYCLE II
HOMILY THEME: HOW BLESSED ARE THE HUMBLE.
BY: Fr. Evaristus Abu
_“I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.” *Luke 10:21.*_
In our Gospel passage this morning, we hear Jesus blessing God for hiding certain things from the wise and revealing them to mere infants. Who are these infants Jesus was referring to? His disciples who had just returned from the missions with good news.
Having sent them two by two into the surrounding villages that he himself was to visit, they came back with joy saying that even the demons are subject to them. That was when Jesus blessed God on their behalf.
So, if Jesus was referring to the disciples as infants, who then are the wise? Who are those who are blind without even knowing; those from who the hidden mysteries of God are hidden? These are those who either do not know God or live as though God does not exist.
The wise are those so full of themselves and full of their knowledge of the world that they feel they have no need for God. Just yesterday, we read about the Centurion who did not consider himself worthy enough to have Jesus come under his roof, this is an example of the kind of humility God requires of us; a humility that opens our eyes to see things that pride hides from us.
In the course of this season of Advent, one question we must continuously ask ourselves is: “How willing am I to humble myself and come to terms with my nothingness?” Or better put: “How ready am I to let go of my big-man-ity (my superhero status, my greatness, my larger- than-life achievements, my super- abundant wealth, just name it) for the sake of anyone else or even humanity as a whole”
Dear friends, in the course of this season of Advent, we shall come to the realization that this was exactly what God did when He decided to leave his glory behind and come to the earth to assume mere human nature and to be born as a child. If God could “forget” His bigness for my sake, why can’t I learn to bring myself down, why can’t I humble myself as a child in my dealings with others?
Some people are so proud, they don’t even know how to beg from others. Pride is really a blinding sickness. Not only does it make you blind to the greatness of God, pride makes you believe you are God. When you find yourself in disagreement with others, maybe you should start by asking: “What if I am wrong?”
The prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading speaks of the time that shall come when the wolf shall dwell with the Lamb, and the Leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together and a little child shall lead them. What does Isaiah mean by a little child assuming leadership of an unthinkable combination of animals who we know are natural enemies? For me, the little child here refers to the humble person. Humility is such a great virtue, it gives you access to really high places!
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help me humble myself. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 1st Week of Advent. Bible Study: Isaiah 11:1-10, Psalm 72:1-17 and Luke 10:21-24).
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