In today’s readings there is a common theme about how Our Lord hears all who follow Him willingly and with humility.  “The one who serves God willingly is heard”, as heard in the First Reading. (SIR 35:12-14, 16-18)  In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus say, “for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (LK 18:9-14)  Though many of us can attest to our own humiliations experienced in times where we did allow ourselves to be self-centered, this Scripture also serves as a warning for each of us as the humiliations we suffer here on earth will most certainly pale in comparison to what we can only imagine of being humbled on the last day.

   The challenge we face in our daily lives is allowing pride to take over in even the smallest of things.  Think of the times when we work together on projects as a team and how easy it is to allow ourselves to focus on “our” contribution, seeking credit for what “I” did.  Being humble would allow us to appreciate the efforts of everybody on the team.  We are driven by many intangible gifts that others bring which make us better.  How often do we think about these things and give thanks to those who make us better?  It may be that someone else is more motivated to do certain things which in turn push us to do more than we could have if left only to our own level of motivation.  This serves as an excellent analogy for how God helps us in our daily lives.  Even when we forget about Him, He is pushing us to do the right thing and make the right choices.  This may be the difference between our being successful and ending up dependent on the charity of others for our next meal.  How often do we give thanks and show gratitude to God for these things versus allowing ourselves to become prideful of “our” tremendous talent.

   Let us learn from today’s readings the importance of the virtue of Charity.  Instead of “taking” credit, let us “give” credit…let us “give” thanks…let us “give”…  For in the words of our Patron Saint, “it is in giving that we receive.”