Humble Aspirations

A Reflection on the Gospel for September 1st, 2019:
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 14.1, 7-14

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, the lawyers and Pharisees were watching him closely. When Jesus noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable.

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place.

“But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus said also to the Pharisee who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

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What does it mean to be humble?

At times I’ve had to very carefully reflect on this question. Personally, I find it can often be quite easy to blur the lines between being humble and having a low self esteem. I think that in a lot of instances, I’ve chalked up any feelings of low self esteem to being “normal” or “a good thing” because that’s what I thought it meant to be humble. But, low self esteem better correlates to a feeling of worthlessness, rather than having an attitude of humility.

When I read this Gospel for the first time, the line, “For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”, really stood out to me. It was even more confirmation that feelings of deflated self worth most definitely weren’t in God’s plan nor did they come from God. When we are humble, we are lifted up and exalted by the Lord. Being humble is having confidence in God. It is placing your confidence in Him… not having no confidence at all.

"Being humble is having confidence in God."

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Being humble means that you do not raise yourself above others in any way. Without asking for anything in return, we should always serve others. When I think about a true example of what it means to be humble, I think of my grandparents. Among the many ministries they take part in, they frequently serve at Alpha on the kitchen team. I truly think that the meal portion of Alpha is one of its greatest parts. Aside from good food being a great selling point on its own, the meal allows for relationship building among the guests. These dinner conversations often help the small group time to run smoothly and help everyone to feel comfortable having broken the ice and filled their tummies. Without that time to become acquainted and comfortable with your table mates, small group chats could be dry because people may be more reserved in their discussions. 

My grandparents often spend the whole day at the church with other volunteers prior to the evening Alpha, preparing the meal and getting ready to serve the guests. After the guests are all served, they eat quietly in the back of the room without recognition of the hours they had put in, and they never boast of their service. They expect absolutely nothing in return and give all of themselves for God’s glory. I can only imagine how delighted God is in them and how much they are exalted by Him. I pray that I may have the strength and will to follow their example as humble servants of the Lord. Amen. ​


​Megan Noye

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