Humble Gifts

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

Sirach 3.17-20, 28-29

My child, perform your tasks with humility; then you will be loved by those whom God accepts. The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favour in the sight of the Lord. Many are lofty and renowned, but to the humble the Lord reveals his secrets. For great is the might of the Lord; but by the humble he is glorified.

When calamity befalls someone proud, there is no healing, for an evil plant has taken root in them.

The mind of the intelligent appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the desire of the wise.

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I feel very blessed to have people in my life who can remind me that it’s not all about me.

Humility is a struggle for me and, interestingly enough, it is not the first time that I have been asked to reflect on this topic. That God of ours is pretty smart. I’ve always maintained that Satan uses our greatest gifts against us. God has given me gifts that put me in the public eye on a regular basis and Satan uses these instances to remind me what an amazing job I am doing and how awesome I am. This is where the importance of close, honest friends comes in.

Recently I had the privilege of helping out on the Way of Stella Maris. This was the first pilgrimage walk put on by the Diocese of Halifax Yarmouth and it took place on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia this August. Fifty-four pilgrims walked more than 100 kms over 5 days to pray for our Church. I was operating what I called “Base Camp”. My job was to set up camp (my 23 ft RV) every day in the parking lot of that night’s venue and minister to the pilgrims as they arrived at the end of their day’s walk. I would have cold drinks or hot tea and coffee, snacks, and a place to sit down and talk about the day. After walking 20 plus kilometers each day, it was no surprise that I was a sight for sore eyes when they rounded the final bend and saw my camp set up. It was more work than I anticipated but because I was working within my God given gifts I loved every minute of it.

I was overwhelmed with the gratitude that the pilgrims showed me. “You are an angel”, “You are on the road to sainthood”, “You are going straight to heaven”. It was so overwhelming that I had to keep reminding myself that after such a long walk they were just delirious!

At the end of each day I would lay in my bed and thank God for His goodness. All I did was share the gifts He has given me. All the Glory is His. All is done through Him, with Him, in Him, and for Him.

"All is done through Him, with Him, in Him, and for Him."

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This reading from Sirach says, “The greater you are the more you must humble yourself”. This line made me chuckle. How do we know when we are greater if we are humble? This is the great gift of humility. We can recognize the gifts that God has given us but acknowledge that it is He who gives them and we are merely the happy recipients. Each time I use my gifts and someone affirms those gifts, is an opportunity for me to glorify God.

My prayer for all of us is that we use our gifts to glorify God and with a humble heart proclaim His greatness to all who affirm us in these gifts. ​


​Maxine Brown

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