Humus

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Luke 14: 1, 7-14)

In Today’s Gospel Jesus used a single word, ‘humility’, to emphasize the manner by which we should act in any public gathering. Jesus is talking beyond the concept of ‘etiquette’ and focusing more on ‘finding one’s place’. Humility is the right attitude in life, towards a harmonious relationship with oneself and others, because humility per se tells us of who we are and what we should be.

Humus is the Latin word for earth and is the root word for humility. It is but appropriate to look at the account of creation in the book of Genesis (2:7) to remind us of our origin: “God shaped man from the soil of the ground and blew the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living being”. In the words of Didier Croonenberghs, OP ‘finding one’s place is first and foremost to know who we are, otherwise no true relation would be possible.’

Still many of us construed the concept of humility into two understanding:

1. Humility belongs to ‘losers’ or ‘weaklings’ thus creating a superior personality to the point of having an ‘I am the center of everything’ attitude, excluding God in the picture.

2. Humility is placing oneself to the lower level, to the point of denying one’s gift and attribute, and thus contenting oneself to just being an average person.

True humility is having the ability to know oneself; to appreciate and affirm one’s gift and capabilities, and at the same time accepting one’s frailties and limitations, always confident yet unassuming.

By ‘sending His only begotten Son’ (Jn 3:16), Who ‘became flesh and dwelt among us’ (Jn 1:14), so that ‘we may have life and have it to the full’ (Jn 10:10), God showed us what true humility is. Through Jesus’ obedience until death we have seen a better glimpse of how important to find our place in God, that ‘without God we can do nothing good.” As the lyrics of the song ‘Who am I?’ echoed,

“…not because of who I am, but because of what you’ve done;

not because of what I’ve done, but because of who You are” (Casting Crown)

A better future is always possible. There is a place waiting for us. Therefore, let us wake up and seek our place in God. In doing so, we will discover that he is the guest who wants to find a place in us. (Didier Croonenberghs, OP)