Oh Lord It’s Hard To Be Humble | March 5, 2016

March 5, 2016

There’s a funny song from the 1980’s written by Mac Davis called It’s Hard To Be Humble and today’s gospel brings that song to mind. Check out the lyrics:

Oh Lord it's hard to be humble

When you're perfect in every way.

I can't wait

To look in the mirror.

Cause I get better looking each day.

To know me is to love me.

I must be a hell of a man.

Oh Lord It's hard to be humble,

But I'm doing the best that I can.

I used to have a girlfriend,

but I guess she just couldn't compete,

With all of these love-starved women,

Who keep cowering at my feet.

Oh I probably could find me another,

But I guess they're all in awe of me.

Who cares?

I never get lonesome.

Cause I treasure my own company.

I guess you could say I'm a loner.

A cowboy out lone, tough, and proud.

I could have lots of friends

If I wanted.

But then I wouldn't stand out from the crowd.

Some folks say that I'm egotistical.

Hell I don't even know what that means.

I guess it has something to do

With the way that I fill out my skin tight with jeans.

I'm doing the best that I can.

Raise your hand if you know someone like this. Raise your hand if you have any of the above traits yourself (I do personally treasure my own company, I’m just sayin’!). The first sentence of this song, however, captures it doesn’t it? It is hard to be humble especially when we are busy comparing ourselves to others. It’s one of those human tendencies that just seems innate, born in us, unavoidable, but guess what? Jesus wants more for us.

Today’s parable features two people with different hearts and different spirits. One person was religious and the other was not, one person was comfortable in the temple and the other was not, one person was front and center and the other was off to the side and distant. Each brought their prayer before the Lord and each had a different approach. One was the better portion. The religious one prayed, front and center, like this: “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.” (Sounds like a certain Presidential candidate who shall remain unnamed) This person definitely thought they could Trump everyone else with their awesomeness (OK, I couldn’t help it)! The other person was a professed and known tax collector, which meant that all saw this person as a shady character and it was socially acceptable to judge a tax collector this way. The tax collector stood off in the distance, would not even raise his eyes to heaven, and prayed, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” In case the crowd was confused by the message, Jesus just tells them the answer, “I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

I’m sure we have all witnessed a similar scenario. Being a youth minister means that sometimes the elders of the church will come to me and inform me that because “my” teenagers dress inappropriately for mass, they must be less than pious and obviously disrespectful toward God and mostly toward them. Their own suit and tie obviously means that they understand God at a much higher level and are therefore perfect in every way. The teens might see a dude in a suit at church and think to themselves, Jesus is so much more chill than that; you obviously don’t get him the way we do.

So, what do we do about it? We humble ourselves before the Lord.  Mary says it best, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done unto me according to your word.” God is God and we are not. This is not to instill false humility in us, like I am no good, or not worthy, or undeserving of love…but quite the opposite. Humility opens our hearts wide in submission to mercy, surrendered to grace, and crying out in need of reconciliation with the one that we have walked away from. God is constantly swooning us, but if we are in the business of exalting ourselves, we will miss the romance of God’s endless love. I feel like we all have the tendency to let kudos and praise get under our skin and convince us that we are indeed better than others, and this might very well be true on a professional or skills level, however, Jesus teaches us that we should come before the Lord in need of more grace, more mercy, more love, so that God can pour it on in his lavish and extravagant way. Coming before the Lord exalted is coming before the Lord with a shield that blocks us from receiving his goodness fully. So if it’s hard to be humble, pray the prayer of the tax collector in today’s gospel and pray it frequently, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Then the one, who is perfect in every way, will step down into darkness, and pull you into his glory, exalted. Have a blessed day.

Reading 1 HOS 6:1-6

“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”

What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Responsorial Psalm PS 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21AB

R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

Verse Before The Gospel PS 95:8

If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.

Gospel LK 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — 
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”