Friday after Ash Wednesday – February 19, 2021

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Isaiah 58:1-9 Matthew 9:14-15

The central theme of today’s first reading and the responsorial psalm is about humility. It would be a huge understatement to say that humility is not one of my greater virtues. As so often happens when I feel the presence of God, my first thought was that the Holy Spirit is nudging me to examine and work on this virtue in my life.

Humility is difficult to define, but you know it when you see it. The dictionary I consulted defines humility as “the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance.” That just doesn’t work for me. I don’t think I, or any of us, are unimportant. Further, shouldn’t I feel a sense of pride when I accomplish a career goal or when my adult son makes a decision that demonstrates the character I worked so hard to instill?

Then I found this other definition on Wikipedia. “In a religious context humility can mean a recognition of self in relation to a deity or deities, and subsequent submission to said deity as a member of that religion.” Okay, that’s a definition I can work with. Do I know deep in my bones that accomplishing that career goal had as much to do with the gifts God gave me as it was earned by hard work? Do I remember the mentors and teachers and the community that helped make my son a good human being? Maybe humility is about being grateful for God’s gifts and those of the community around me. Most of all, maybe humility is recognizing and being thankful that I am important to God and that I am saved not because I deserve it but because He loves me.

By the way, my second reaction after reflecting on today’s readings is that God has a great sense of humor. 

Q: In what ways can I humbly thank those who help me along the path?

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