Humble place of service

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today build on the self emptying of Christ celebrated in the Letter to the Philippians.

At the banquet

The thanksgiving expressed by Paul in the Letter to the Philippians recognizes the work being done to spread the Word even as the Apostle is uncertain of his own fate in a Roman prison.

* [1:19–25] Paul earnestly debates his prospects of martyrdom or continued missionary labor. While he may long to depart this life and thus be with Christ (Phil 1:23), his overall and final expectation is that he will be delivered from this imprisonment and continue in the service of the Philippians and of others (Phil 1:19, 25; Phil 2:24). In either case, Christ is central (Phil 1:20–21); if to live means Christ for Paul, death means to be united with Christ in a deeper sense.

In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus gives an example of living in humility.

* [14:7–14] The banquet scene found only in Luke provides the opportunity for these teachings of Jesus on humility and presents a setting to display Luke’s interest in Jesus’ attitude toward the rich and the poor (see notes on Lk 4:18; 6:20–26; 12:13–34).

Tom Drzaic suggests how we can feel that humility and pride are rightfully balanced in our life.

As I struggled with this I realized, to remain humble, I had to answer two more important questions.  The first, are all who helped being recognized and appreciated? This was exemplified by Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon.  Neil was renowned for his ability to remain humble despite his celebrity and accomplishment. A common response of his when he was asked about that first step on the moon would be “I was certainly aware that this was the culmination of the work of 300,000 to 400,000 people over a decade”.  The second is am I doing this to walk with and live out the mission of Jesus to serve God or is it to serve myself in any way?

Don Schwager observes that true humility frees us to love and serve selflessly for the good of others.

Humility is the queen or foundation of all the other virtues because it enables us to view and judge ourselves correctly, the way God sees us. Humility leads to true self-knowledge, honesty, realism, strength, and dedication to give ourselves to something greater than ourselves. Humility frees us to love and serve others selflessly, for their sake, rather than our own. Paul the Apostle, gives us the greatest example and model of humility in the person of Jesus Christ, who emptied himself, taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8). The Lord Jesus gives grace - his abundant favor and help - to all who humbly seek him.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Philippians 1:18-26 recognizes that we all have physical, mental, or spiritual challenges to deal with.

Like Paul, we can hold fast to our inheritance and press on with courage. We can try to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and remember that his cross has won us the gift of eternal life. It won’t always be easy, but the more we look forward to life with God forever, the less we will fear the difficulties we face today.

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Paul is sharing a moment of conversion in the face of death. God Is control of our destiny. We find peace in surrender. Friar Jude also reminds us of Jesus self emptying example in the 2nd chapter of Philippians.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares James Finley meditation practice that we can learn from God that love alone has the authority to name who we really are and are called to be in the midst of all that life might send our way, right up to the moment of our death and beyond.

As you inhale, listen to God’s silent I love you in which God’s sustaining love is pouring itself out and giving itself to you as the gift and miracle of your very life. As you exhale, exhale yourself, that is, give yourself in a whispered I love you that incarnates the gift of yourself to God, who with your next inhalation is being poured out and given to you as the gift and miracle of your very life.

The gift of Love and humility in our lives frees us to open to the service to which we are called in our surrender to the Will of God.

References

(n.d.). Philippians chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 3, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/philippians1:123
(n.d.). Luke chapter 14 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 3, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/14
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved November 3, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 3, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(2018, November 2). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved November 3, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/2018/11/03/
(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 3, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/