When we were children and attended the Sacred Heart Cathedral, New Delhi for Mass every Sunday, it perplexed me that Dad and Mum preferred sitting at least 10 rows behind rather than up front. The simple reason was I liked being able to see the celebrant and listening to his sermon from where we sat – rather than keep peering through all the taller heads of people in front and trying to guess what the celebrant was saying in his sermon.
At a recent free concert in Greenville in a University, we got in late because it took time to track down the hall it was being held in, in such an enormous American college campus. Again peering through the tall Caucasian heads in front holding up phone cameras to record the program, was difficult and needless to say we could hardly hear the choir singing. But St. Luke’s Gospel explains why we need to choose to sit behind rather up in front as an act of humility and simplicity.
We have been taught through our childhood to be humble and sit behind, rather than being embarrassed and told to get up and go behind, making way for the guests of honour. Prominent people are usually invited and given the seats upfront and are the guests of honour. So we have never taken the seats upfront which are always reserved for the chief guest and his entourage.
When visiting my son’s homes I realise now that being a parent can be a very humbling experience – wiping noses, changing diapers and looking after a child’s every need for years. In the supermarket, letting someone ahead of you in line when you see they are in a hurry and have only one or two items to pay for– is an act of humility. Cleaning the bathroom of your office, even though you own the company, is an example of humility. There are so many acts of humility that we can emulate and Jesus explains them so well in his parables.
In the gospel of Luke 14:7-11 Jesus could
not have explained the whole issue of humility more succinctly. Jesus at a celebration had noticed how the guests picked the places of honour, so he told them a parable. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you will have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” Then, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be raised up.’
Jesus could say it because he had done it his own life, stepping down from His throne
at the right hand of the Heavenly Father
and humbling Himself to be human and
walk among us. I have no human equivalent
to compare this act of selflessness. Maybe someone who was the president or prime minister of a great country who suddenly resigned their position and gave away their wealth and title to head out to the mission field might be a kind of example but still it cannot compare.
Humility is a tough virtue for us to imbibe and practice. But it is important to understand that it’s the humble man who will be exalted and will be looked upon as an inspiration.
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