εὐαγγελίζω (euaggelizo)
“to announce the Good News of victory in battle”
“to announce the Good News of victory in battle”
“...The greatest among you
must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:11-12
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the realm of the ideal and perhaps even the abstract, humility as a virtue sounds nice, perhaps motivating one to pray on occasion to be a humble. Yet when a situtation unfolds that humbles one, humility does not ‘feel’ that good. Questions of fairness, thoughts of being used, of being a doormat and maybe even a looser floods the mind. Dwelling on these and other thoughts may even lead one to scheme ways of reversing the situtation to show the world just how strong, good, noble and better than all I am. Then we are confronted not only with the words of Jesus, but His very life that He emptied “taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, He humbled (ἐταπείνωσεν - etapeinōsen) Himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:7-8)
Jesus never asks His disciple to act in a way that He has not done Himself. Not only does He provide the model or example of thought, word and deed, He also offers both the catechesis and the means (grace) to act in a manner worthy of being a Christian. Hence, in this Sunday’s proclamation of His Word from Matthew, Jesus catechizes His disciples on the right or proper attitude of humility, “whoever humbles (ταπεινώσει - tapeinōsei) himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). Humility is the indispensable virtue necessary even before broaching the reality of exaltation.
In the antiquity, humility (ταπείνωσις - tapeínōsis) and the verb form, to humble (ταπεινόω - tapeinóō) have interesting roots in Greek culture. Often, tapeínōsis was a rather pejorative term that expressed a family’s low socio-economic status in society, a status that was often applied to a family generation after generation. The insulting designation, ‘those people,’ was often a cloud that never lifted for numerous peoples no matter any verifiable economic progress an individual or family would make in the future. The disparaging designation boxed people into a particular way of being viewed and dealt with in society. Additionally, tapeínōsis expressed a state or way of living that one did not choose. Individuals or society could be made low through a military defeat. Similarly, a person or group of persons could be brought low through natural disasters, illnesses, diseases or injuries inflicted by another. In other words, tapeínōsis, as a condition of living, generally was caused by another, not self.
In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Septuagint), tapeínōsis, translates many Hebrew words that are similar in meaning and usage in Greek culture. Yet in the Psalms, tapeínōsis, notes the addition of one’s choice in being made low, especially in the presence of God. Within the context of worship and prayer, being low before God is essential and, as worship informs and shapes the living of life, Jewish living underscored the path of lowliness for genuine covenant living. A very old, non-Psalmic Jewish prayer captured this well: “God is God, I am not. God is God, we are not!” Jesus Himself certainly made this a cornerstone for His way of living the Father’s mission for the salvation of all and consequently a dimension of discipleship.
Saint Matthew records Jesus‘ admonition to live a life of tapeínōsis in 3 places: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.” (11:29), “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (18:14) and the ending of this Sunday’s proclamation: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (23:12). The first notes Jesus’ Self-description of His life and the remaining highlights the necessity of this same virtue in the disciple’s life.
Jesus never asks His disciple to act in a way that He has not done Himself. Not only does He provide the model or example of thought, word and deed, He also offers both the catechesis and the means (grace) to act in a manner worthy of being a Christian. Hence, in this Sunday’s proclamation of His Word from Matthew, Jesus catechizes His disciples on the right or proper attitude of humility, “whoever humbles (ταπεινώσει - tapeinōsei) himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). Humility is the indispensable virtue necessary even before broaching the reality of exaltation.
In the antiquity, humility (ταπείνωσις - tapeínōsis) and the verb form, to humble (ταπεινόω - tapeinóō) have interesting roots in Greek culture. Often, tapeínōsis was a rather pejorative term that expressed a family’s low socio-economic status in society, a status that was often applied to a family generation after generation. The insulting designation, ‘those people,’ was often a cloud that never lifted for numerous peoples no matter any verifiable economic progress an individual or family would make in the future. The disparaging designation boxed people into a particular way of being viewed and dealt with in society. Additionally, tapeínōsis expressed a state or way of living that one did not choose. Individuals or society could be made low through a military defeat. Similarly, a person or group of persons could be brought low through natural disasters, illnesses, diseases or injuries inflicted by another. In other words, tapeínōsis, as a condition of living, generally was caused by another, not self.
In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Septuagint), tapeínōsis, translates many Hebrew words that are similar in meaning and usage in Greek culture. Yet in the Psalms, tapeínōsis, notes the addition of one’s choice in being made low, especially in the presence of God. Within the context of worship and prayer, being low before God is essential and, as worship informs and shapes the living of life, Jewish living underscored the path of lowliness for genuine covenant living. A very old, non-Psalmic Jewish prayer captured this well: “God is God, I am not. God is God, we are not!” Jesus Himself certainly made this a cornerstone for His way of living the Father’s mission for the salvation of all and consequently a dimension of discipleship.
Saint Matthew records Jesus‘ admonition to live a life of tapeínōsis in 3 places: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.” (11:29), “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (18:14) and the ending of this Sunday’s proclamation: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (23:12). The first notes Jesus’ Self-description of His life and the remaining highlights the necessity of this same virtue in the disciple’s life.
tapeínōsis ‘grounded’ in the disciple’s life suggests another aspect of this reflection on tapeínōsis. When translated into Latin, tapeínōsis is the Latin humilitas. In the Vulgate, Saint Jerome’s Latin translation of the Sacred Scriptures, he employs humilitas for the Greek tapeínōsis. Humilitas is ‘rooted’ in the Latin word humus, meaning soil - especially soil that is rich in earthy nutrients that supports growth for all sorts of living realities, including humanity. Like the first human Adam (Hebrew meaning “of the earth”), all humanity is tied to the soil and the ground of our existence is a dependency upon God the Father and genuine reverencing of one another as we have a common origin and dependency.
For Jesus, humility grounds the disciple’s life in the mode of creaturely dependence upon the Father, what Jesus termed “poverty of spirit” in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7). Humility is not an attitude of letting everyone walk over you. Humility is not adopting a false sense of worthlessness. Quite the contrary as humble people paradoxically are strong and quite valuable for any family, community, society or culture. Knowing, accepting and living our earthy, creaturely dependence on the Father enables His Spirit to irrigate, prune, weed and fertilize our lives to blossom as citizens of the Kingdom of God with Christ Jesus the capstone.
Collect
Almighty and merciful God,
by Whose gift Your faithful offer You
right and praiseworthy service,
grant, we pray,
that we may hasten without stumbling
to receive the things You have promised.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever
by Whose gift Your faithful offer You
right and praiseworthy service,
grant, we pray,
that we may hasten without stumbling
to receive the things You have promised.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
