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Exploring the word

05 Jul 2009 - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account,” Jesus famously taught in his Sermon on the Mount. And he should know, because Jesus faced precisely this kind of treatment at his debut in Nazareth. Folks didn’t simply disapprove of his teaching. They questioned his credentials and even his paternity (being called “the son of Mary” was irregular in a land where your father’s lineage was paramount). In fact, the opposition got rather physical, if you include nearly being hurled off a cliff at the end of the lesson. When we are criticized, rightly or wrongly, it rarely feels like a blessing. Even persecution for righteousness’ sake—a very specific kind of rejection—is not something most of us are anxious to achieve. We want approval, not condemnation. We seek support and encouragement, a pat on the back, and even a reward when possible. As children a cookie would do. Later on the keys to the car said it better. In adulthood we’re usually looking for more cash in the envelope. What we really don’t expect or desire, when we say or do the right thing, is to be defamed for it. Saint Paul can have his angel of Satan to beat him, and if it makes him a more noble character, more power to him. Most of us would prefer to keep that particular monkey off our backs. If I had to wrestle with an angel all night long as Jacob did, I may wind up wiser and better for it. But I’d still opt out of the experience if I could, in exchange for a good night’s rest. Ezekiel was advised at the start of his prophetic ministry that being on God’s payroll is not a popularity contest: It’s the rebellious nation that needs a prophet, not a saintly and compliant crew. Telling the weaktruth, whether professionally or in the bosom of our families, is rarely a thing for which we’ll be thanked. Having admitted all of that, I also must admit that Jesus is absolutely right—as usual. Although no one has questioned my paternity yet, the criticism I do regularly receive from coworkers, friends, family members, and the occasional opposition leader can be a blessing if I am willing to receive it as one. It does remind me, as Paul says, that my weakness reveals the strength of Christ—that such a one as I could do any good at all is a minor miracle! Criticism keeps me humble, provides the opportunity for an examination of conscience (sometimes the negative report is quite accurate), exercises my sense of humor, and reminds me that the good I do isn’t about me; it’s meant to glorify God. Related scripture links Calls to prophesy: Exod. 3:4-14; 1 Sam. 3:1-10; Isa. 6:1-10; Jer.1:4-10; Jon. 1:1-3 Who’s responsible for the message: Ezek. 3:17-21 God’s Word is alive: Heb. 4:12-13 Nothing but Christ crucified: 1 Cor. 2:1-5 Catechism links Omnipotence: CCC 268-274; 1508 Sickness and faith: CCC 1500-1510

Authors Alice Camille

keep humble sermon on the mount son of Mary Weakness strength

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19 May 2024 - Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle B

If the riveting movie Doubt taught us nothing else, it’s that there’s always room for being dead wrong. We don’t like to entertain that notion even in the privacy of our midnight thoughts. It’s especially critical for those who are parents; those who teach and guide the impressionable; for leaders of every kind, and policymakers and deciders—heck, it’s crucial for all of us to try to be sure about what we claim is true. Because when we’re wrong, we’re often taking others down the path of error with us. How do we avoid the painful consequences of being wrong about what we hold true? First, we accept our mortal limitations. At the end of his life Michelangelo had the humility to say of his art: “I am still learning.” The guy who did the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Pietà, and the astonishing David—still learning? If one of the most gifted artists of any age had not reached his potential after creating such dazzling beauty, it’s a safe bet you and I haven’t maxed out our understanding either. There’s always more to read, to ponder, and to comprehend. And when we’ve done a lifetime of that, we’ve still got all that’s yet to be revealed to discover. So task number one for avoiding error is to keep on learning. Number two is the twin sister of that task: Stay humble. There’s nothing like pride to trip us up and make fools of geniuses. The humble, by contrast, remain teachable. The third necessary element is to pray, asking the Spirit for guidance. Pentecost has no meaning if it remains a static historical event. The Spirit is given for our help. But the Spirit won’t trespass human freedom. If we want the aid of the indwelling Spirit, we have to ask. For Christians, those three steps will keep us out of harm’s way. The Spirit of truth, as Jesus says, can only lead us to truth—and will lead us to all truth. Jesus makes no exceptions, doesn’t outline any grey fuzzy areas where we’ll have to wade in on our own. If we don’t know what to do, we should pray and ask. If we’re 100 percent sure what we should do, we might want to pray about that, too! I remember making the decision, 25 years ago, to quit theology school. I was tired, sick, and sure the whole thing was a big mistake. After a weeklong retreat dedicated to confirming my decision, I visited the chapel one more time before leaving the retreat center. Gripped by the eyes of a Madonna, I sat down for one more prayer—and stayed in school, and in ministry. Related scripture links God’s breath creates the world: Gen. 1:2, 2:7 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me: Isa. 61:1-3; Luke 4:18-19 I will place a new spirit within them: Ezek. 11:19-20 The Valley of Dry Bones: Ezek. 37:1-14 Put a new spirit within me: Psalm 51:12-14 Catechism links Truth: CCC 2465-2503 Holy Spirit: CCC 691-693; 731-741; 767-768; 797-801; 1830-1832 Adapted from a previously published Exploring the word.

Authors Alice Camille

learning Doubt being wrong stay humble

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31 Aug 2025 - Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

"Unless you begin at the rock-solid, painful truth," spiritual writer William O'Malley maintains in his gloriously simple book Holiness, "you're pumping your legs like Elmer Fudd long beyond the cliff's edge." Getting familiar with and embracing the rock-solid truth about ourselves is what humility is all about. It's the essential virtue, the one without which all the others just can't attach to us. Humility allows us to self-empty and make room for theological virtues like faith, hope, and love as well as spiritual fruits like peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, and the rest. If you want "in" on the ground floor of the spiritual life, you can't bypass the prerequisite of humility. The greater you are, the more humility you need, says Ben Sira, an esteemed wise man doubtless acquainted with the need for a daily slice of humble pie. Jesus reminds us that exaltation is quickly followed by humiliation—so it’s best to humble ourselves before others get a crack at us. In the pursuit of holiness, the more successful we seem to be the more we need to keep in mind O'Malley's assertion that "every rock, rutabaga, and rabbit fulfills God's intentions" quite perfectly, too. It's no great shakes to do what's right. Jesus confirms that in another parable when describing dutiful servants as those who complete their tasks only to claim: "We have done what we were obliged to do" (Luke 17:10). The poet James Russell Lowell pinpoints the attitude of humility when he speaks of an encounter with the Sacred Presence he once had. "I could not any more have doubted that He was there than that I was. Indeed, I felt myself to be, if possible, the less real of the two." Maybe that is what Saint Paul was driving at when he said, "It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me." Might you and I ever be less central to our own identity than God-in-us? If we will not be emptied of ourselves, we can't become full of grace. If we insist on our preeminence, our own righteousness, well, there's a word for that: self-righteous. In Holiness O'Malley notes that self-righteousness leads to arrogance, the sort of arrogance that allowed Pontius Pilate to coolly ask, "What is truth?"—and then promptly send Truth out to be executed. O'Malley has formulated a law to cover such occasions: "The Less You Know, the More Certain You Can Be." How can we know more? We must "be" less. Wisdom comes to the humble, the same way it came to Ben Sira and to our meek Lord, the Lamb of God, who because he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped would one day be the name above every other name. Aim high? Start low. Related scripture links Jesus’ example of humility: Matt. 11:29, 12:15-21; Luke 2:7, 22:42 Teachings on humility: Matt. 5:3-1, 18:1-5, 21:20-28; Luke 6:20-26, 9:46-48, 17:7-10, 18:9-17 Bring no agenda before Jesus: Matt. 8:18-22; Luke 9:57-62 Catechism links Humility: CCC 525-526; 559; 724; 2540; 2559; 2628; 2631; 2706; 2713 Adapted from a previously published Exploring the word.

Authors Alice Camille

self truth Humility self-righteousness arrogance being humble

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Homily stories

31 Aug 2025 - Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

When he learned of his father’s death, he was 3,000 miles away. He boarded the first plane bound for his small New England town. He led a global organization based in Rome and traveled extensively, but he rarely had time to visit his family except for Christmas and the occasional wedding. As he sat in the comfort of business class, he couldn’t remember the last time he flew economy. He was the son of Polish immigrants who worked in blue-collar jobs and went without luxuries to ensure their children had excellent educations. He and his doctor brother were the proud fruits of their labors. Throughout the flight he thought of all the lessons he had learned from his dad about being honorable, respectful, and doing the right thing and from his mom about caring for others and keeping a clean house: “There’s only one way to scrub a floor,” she’d say, “and that’s on your hands and knees.” Upon his arrival, he was met by a driver who called him sir and knew his travel itinerary in advance. It wasn’t long before they turned down a familiar tree-lined street of closely nestled Queen Anne style houses. There, midblock, stood his childhood home. As he opened the front door, he was met with the smell of cookies not long out of the oven and fried onions to top pierogi his mother had surely spent hours making in preparation for his homecoming and the reception after the funeral the following day. It was late. His mother was resting. She hugged her boy so tightly he could barely breathe. She didn’t sob. That wasn’t her way. But her eyes were red and lined with circles. “So much to be done,” she said. “Mama, go to sleep now. I am here to help,” he gently replied. He walked into the kitchen, donned an apron, filled a bucket with soap and water, got down on his hands and knees, and began scrubbing the kitchen floor.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

Humility humble life lessons

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