HUMILITY AND REST
Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30
Rev. Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
Today’s readings present us with two basic themes – humility and rest. The first reading is a prophecy about the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The Lord entered Jerusalem in victory and in humility. How many victorious persons are humble? In the gospel, Jesus says “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. This implies that one of the conditions for rest in the scriptures is humility. Little wonder the Bible says; “no rest for the wicked”. Let us look at both themes sequentially.
Humility is the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance. It also means submitting to the authority of another, without personal pride. “Low view” here does not mean low Self-Esteem. Low self-esteem is the act of not valuing oneself, having little or no belief in oneself. Being humble and having low self-esteem are not similar even though they are often misconstrued. In trying to be humble, people tend to express low self-esteem. Humility allows a healthy self esteem of the self, by so doing we tend to feel positive about ourselves and about life in general. People with healthy self-esteem are aware and accept both their strengths and faults, as well as their skills and flaws. They hold realistic expectations for themselves and others.
The responsorial psalm of today further reveals the qualities associated with humility. It says the Lord is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, kind, compassionate, mighty, faithful and holy. One who is humble should equally manifest these qualities. You can’t say you are humble, yet quick to anger, unkind, rude and unfaithful to God. Let us learn to be humble; humility pays.
The opposite of humility is pride. In the second reading St. Paul says we are not of the flesh but of the spirit and if we live in accordance to the flesh we shall die. The way of the flesh is the way of pride. While humility is a virtue, pride is a vice. A preacher once said that Pride is an endoparasite and ectoparasite that can eat you up externally and internally and render you unfit for heaven. In every one of us there is the parasite of pride; either you have it internally or externally and it can be seen in varied ways. Pride is the governing propensity of the devil. St. Augustine says pride makes angels devil; while humility turns men into angels. In a generation where men are full of themselves and empty of God; humility is a way out.
Still on pride, Jesus says in the gospel, “you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little ones”. The wise are people who live in self-sufficiency to the point of disregarding God. God reveals his mystery to little ones – the humble. Sirach 3:18 reminds us saying; “The greater you become, the more humble you should be and God will be pleased with you.” Again, the statement “you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding” goes to show to us that if anyone comes to the saving knowledge of the truth, it’s not by their own intellect but by grace. Most of the apostles were not all that educated but they expressed Christ. While knowledge is important we must also be open to Divine revelation.
On the theme of rest, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11 : 28).
You can never gather enough. Rest and sleep are God’s blessings and great gifts to humanity. Always make an effort to sleep. Worn-out bodies would recover if subjected to good sleep and rest. Even a little sleep can do the miracles most of your prayers cannot do. Work hard but equally sleep well. It is dangerous to over work yourself and not rest. Organ malfunction or failure is real. When we do not sleep the much we should our organs; such as the heart, brain, liver, kidney, stomach, lungs, and others, go through stress and we suffer the consequences.
Sleep is a blessing and a gift. It has the capacity to avert most psychological problems such as manic depression (feeling unloved), schizophrenia (hearing voices), insomnia (lack of sleep), and hypomania (excessive ambition).These are all results of unresolved worries and fears. We frequently refer to it as a demonic attack, witchcraft spirits, etc. This generation has access to all forms of entertainment, particularly through social media. Thread is out now – as you ‘like and follow’ remember to give yourself a good sleep. Sleep is equally entertaining. Sleep is sweet.
Jesus says in today’s gospel : ‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’. Some of us are burdened because of the pride. Some are doing everything possible to cover up; it’s neurotic and exhaustive. Be humble and find rest for your heart. Jesus offers us rest; he wants us to be like him. He is humble. Be humble and have peace. Take Christ yoke; it is easy and light; don’t go and carry Satan’s yoke you will not rest. Isaiah 57:20-21 reads: “….There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.”
LET US PRAY
O God, who in the abasement of your Son have raised up a fallen world, fill your faithful with holy joy, for on those you have rescued from slavery to sin you bestow eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
