Today, we are called to seek a hidden treasure in plain sight. This treasure wins you admiration and friendship before God and man and is a recipe for spiritual joy and happiness, fulfilment and contentment, holiness and righteousness. This important treasure is the virtue of humility.
In the first reading, the prophet urged the people to seek the Lord, integrity, and humility. He noted that God would leave in their midst a humble and lowly people, i.e., people from whom they will learn humility. Why should they learn humility? Because it draws them to seek the Lord.
The responsorial psalm pointed out the attitude of those who are humble. They recognize that everything they can do is all by God’s grace. They give praise to God for everything, taking no credit.
In the second reading, St Paul reminded the Corinthians of how God does not choose by human standards, wisdom, or nobility. Instead, God chooses the weak, foolish, uninfluential, and contemptible in human standards to manifest his glory – the lowly people. As God had chosen them, God should be their object of boasting.
In the gospel, Jesus started his sermon on the mount. His first teaching was the Beatitude, and among the beatitudes, the first is a reminder of the joy of humility. He said, “How happy are the poor in Spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor in spirit are those who know they are nothing and have nothing of their own; those who know they depend on God’s grace entirely and have nothing to claim as their rightful inheritance from God. Hence, they are disposed to accept with gratitude whatever comes to them from God. Indeed, they are the humble. To them is given this promise of possessing the heavenly kingdom. Every spiritual joy we can have begins with the joy of humility before God.
Humility is our nature. Humility is our target. Humility is the Christian life, and humility is the life of heaven. Let us humble ourselves in all things that God may lift us high. God bless you.