Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
This past Thursday I presided over yet another tragic and challenging funeral. Our parishioners Mary and Bill Griffith were burying their 31 year old son. Kent Griffith worked at Wal-Mart and died most unexpectedly. An unsuspected blood clot did him in. This was one special funeral. Kent’s parents chose to speak at Kent’s funeral. I would like to read a few lines from their reflection. Bill read, “I am nervous, scared, and confused as I know many of you are also. However please know that we are not alone.” After honoring Kent in the most realistic and honest way, Bill went on the talk about faith: “A tragedy like this questions your faith and your beliefs. My Grandma Walch was such a person of faith. She never missed church in fact usually arrived almost an hour early often times transporting her sisters to and fro. She would kneel by her bed each night and pray despite how long she worked on the farm that day. I wish I was more like her. I want to think that I am a person of faith but often times it is only when it is convenient for me. It is much like the words of the Dierks Bentley song "A Better Believer" in which he sings about his blessings but takes them for granted. Kent is helping me become a better believer already.”
You might wonder why I have chosen to begin my homily with Bill and Mary’s reflection when today’ readings are focused on humility. I am doing this because I want to reflect on humility as a question of “positioning” or the “posture” we assume. Jesus was at the Pharisees house and he noticed that those who were invited were seeking “places of honor.” Jesus advised his disciples to posture themselves differently. He told them to take the least positions and may be the host would “move them up to a higher position.” In other words, humility and its opposite – pride, are about how we position ourselves or the posture we assume in relation to God, to others and to our own self. And I think and Mary and Bill’s posture, as they reflected upon the death of their son, was a great example of humility. I, for one, have not been able to stop talking about them.
As I said earlier, pride and humility are about the position we take a) in the presence of God b) in the presence of others, and c) in our own estimation. In my three practical implications I want to use Mary and Bill reflection to draw out these three points.
1.Our posture in the presence of God. When tragedies like the one the Griffith’s are encountering occur, people take numerous postures in relation to God. Some people question God, some people get frustrated with God and some people completely stop believing in God. I am not denying that doubt, anger, and anguish have no role as we grow in our relationship with God. But I was truly awestruck with Bill and Mary’s posture in the face of tragedy. Talking about ways to cope with his son’s death, there was no questioning God, lashing out at God or even the question, “Why?” On the contrary, Bill acknowledged his limitations when it comes to faith and he wished that his faith was stronger. In fact, he is willing to learn from this tragedy – learn to not take thing for granted. Instead of getting caught up in self-pity he surrendered himself to God. He wants this tragedy to make him a better believer. Their posturing in God’s presence what I call humility.
2.Our posture in relationship to others. Jesus offers another measure of humility – our relationship with others. He says, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors…. Rather, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and blind.” In other words, humility is about who we identify ourselves with and how do we posture ourselves in relation to them? In his reflection, Bill and Mary talked about their experience at Church the Sunday after Kent’s death: “At Sunday's mass a beautiful young family sat in front of us including their young infant who often times smiled at us during mass. There was another young boy was directly behind us. The family is one that I had never seen at Mass before. I believe that God and Kent put them there to comfort us Sunday and get us through that mass. We were buffered and surrounded with reminders of what life can and should be.” How is it possible that this grieving family was able to find comfort in little children they had never seen before? I think it was because how they had postured themselves. Even as they were grieving they were completely aware of their surrounding and the people around them. Even on the day of the funeral they welcomed friends from other Christian denominations and made them feel at home. As Bill said, “This is the most welcoming Parish that I have ever had the privilege of being part of so please know that there are no strangers here today.” In the strangest way, they gave more comfort to people than anybody could have consoled them. This is the mark of humility.
3.Our posture in relation to our self. Mary, Kent’s mother, said only a few words at the funeral mass. But she began this way: “I was 19 newly married and became pregnant right away. I was scared. But, God rewarded me with the greatest gift possible.” Bill began his reflection saying, I am nervous, scared, and confused….” However please know that we are not alone.” The honesty, the sincerity, the openness, the willingness to learn… this is the test of humility. Something strange happened at the funeral as a result of their sharing. Even though Bill and Mary confessed their fears and their weakness, paradoxically, what came through was their strength, courage and faith. The whole grieving congregation found strength and faith in their honestly and humility. This is a tough lesson to learn but today’s first reading from Sirach tells us “Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.” Jesus tells us in today’s gospel, “For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Ultimately, humility pays back divine rewards.
As we bring ourselves to the altar fist I want you to pray for the Griffith family. Second, let us identify with the bread and the wine. These are unpresumptuous, simple and humble objects from everyday life. Yet God exalts them and makes them the body and blood of Christ. If we identify ourselves with the bread and wine, if we become unpresumptuous, humble and simple, God will exalt us in eternity.
- Fr. Satish Joseph