Humility, grace, love

WE need to be humble to attract and receive God’s grace

that would enable us to do what we cannot do on our own—to be able to

love everyone, including our enemies. Christ has told us, nay,

commanded us to love our enemies, and that is just impossible for us

to do unless we have God’s grace.

  

            But the grace of God, which is always made available,

cannot enter into our heart and would have no effect in us unless we

humble ourselves, denying ourselves of our own likes and preferences

and willing to carry the cross of Christ, which is the cross that

signifies everything that we do not want and also all the sins of man.

  

            It is humility that is the gateway for God’s grace and

Christ himself to enter into our lives and empowering us to do what

God himself, who is all love, does. Humility involves a certain giving

up, a certain dying that actually gives rise to a better life, just

like a seed has to die before it bears fruits.

   

            Remember what Christ said about this point. “Truly, truly,

I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it

remains only a seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (Jn 12,24)

And he continued: “Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever

hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life…” (12,24)

  

            How important it really is to learn how to be humble,

unafraid of the many inconveniences it would surely involve! To humble

oneself is actually never an act of cowardice nor the misfortune of a

defeat. On the contrary, it requires a lot of courage to leave behind

the nest of our comfort in order to fly to far distances, pursuing

nothing less than heaven. And success and victory is assured, since

Christ promised it. We should just have faith in Christ.

  

            Humility is emptying ourselves to fill ourselves with

nothing less than God himself, of whom we are supposed to be his image

and likeness. Humility enables us to receive grace, and with grace we

are enabled, in spite of our weaknesses and differences and conflicts

among ourselves, to love everyone.

   

            When we humble ourselves, we would reflect God’s own

self-emptying as described by St. Paul: “He, existing in the form of

God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but

emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human

likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself

and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.” (Phil 2,6-8)

   

            We have to start training ourselves to have this attitude

and outlook in life. This is the sure way to be like Christ and to be

able to love the way Christ loved all of us, both sinners and saints.

   

            We need to examine ourselves to see if indeed we are ready

and eager to follow this example of Christ. We need to drive away any

trace of pride, vanity and conceit from our thoughts and desires.

  

            We should regard ourselves merely as instruments, tools,

or as a rug for others to step on softly in life. This is not

self-degradation, but an assertion of our true dignity as image and

likeness of God, children of his. This is what it means to be ‘another

Christ,’ who is our way, truth and life.

   

            Everyday, we need to make some kind of plan and strategy

to turn this ideal into a concrete reality. Indeed, if we have a mind

to follow Christ, we actually have more than enough possibilities

everyday to do so. We do not need special occasions for this

possibility to take place.

  

            Humbling ourselves truly enables us to receive God’s grace

and to love all!