Our second reading is one of my favorite passages in the entire New Testament and one of the most precious texts in our Christian Tradition: the second chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It’s not exactly clear from the English translation, but this passage contains one of the earliest Christian hymns in existence: a song about Christ—his incarnation, death, and exaltation.
The hymn starts with the Son of God in heaven prior to his incarnation. For remember, the three persons of the Trinity existed from all ages. And so the hymn begins with explaining how God the Son was humble before the Father from all ages. And then it speaks of the Son’s incarnation—his self-emptying, taking on our frail humanity, taking the form of a slave: Jesus’ humble, obedient death on the cross. Then it speaks of the Son’s Exaltation: the son, who humbled himself unto death, is exalted by God the Father. So that his name—the name of Jesus— is made known throughout all the earth, at which every knee shall bend.
Scholars believe that Paul didn’t actually compose this hymn himself. Rather, scholars believe that the hymn predated Paul’s letter. At that’s pretty profound, since Paul’s letter to the Philippians was written about the year 55 AD, just about 20 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, the earliest Christians, before even any of the Gospels were written, were already singing about how Jesus’ humility led to his exaltation.
Humility appears, over and over, to be the Lord’s favorite virtue. The Son willingly humbles himself to the will of his father and takes human flesh to save us from our sins. He is born not in a palace, but in a humble stable. He lived in the obscure village of Nazareth. He had the menial job of a carpenter. During His public ministry, he did not lord the fact that he was God over his disciples, rather, he slept on the same desert ground as they, the Son of Man had nowhere to lay His head. He took his meals with the outcasts, laid hands on the lepers. And He allowed himself to be scourged, and mocked, and put to death as a criminal. Jesus’ humility is beyond comprehension.
Why does Paul include this profound early Christian hymn in his letter? Well, he explains why. In the Church is going to be built up and preserved from sinful division, if the Gospel mission is going to be successful, Christians, must possess the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus. What attitude? Well, the attitude that is on display in the hymn. Humility. Practice, practice, practice, toward one another and toward non-believers, humility.
“Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves.” Humbly regard others as more important than yourselves. Well, that’s a different way of going about life than our culture proposes, isn’t it? Treat the waitress as if she’s more important than you. Treat your neighbor as if he’s more important than you. Treat the janitor, the trashman, the homeless beggar, as if they are more important than you. Serve them. Wash their feet. Feed them. Visit the prisoner.
Humble service is to be the hallmark of the Christian, and that is in great contrast to the way of the world. Treat the slave the same as a king? Serve both as if you were serving Christ himself. Quite different from the athlete worship, the politician worship, the Hollywood actor worship, the wealthy elite worship, of our culture.
One of the famous lines of John Milton’s Paradise lost has Satan, the devil, standing before God and saying, “non serviam”, the latin for, “I will not serve”. Satan is like the son in the gospel today, who initially gives the impression that he will serve, but in the end, refuses. Jesus, on the other hand, says I have come not to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many.
Jesus’ humility is in striking contrast, to the pride of Lucifer. Lucifer, created as an angel of great intellect and beauty desired to be higher in heaven, he wanted to take God’s place, he did grasp at godliness. Satan wanted to Lord power over the other angels and over creation, so he led a rebellion against God and God’s faithful angels. Of course there was really no contest, Satan was cast out of heaven, he fell like lightning. But, in his malice, Satan tempted Adam and Even in the garden with that same sin. He told them that they could not be happy unless they grasp at the fruit, they couldn’t be happy unless they grasp at godliness for themselves, instead of humbly submitting to God’s plan. And he tempts each one of us with that same sin: grasp at happiness, even if it means ignoring the commandments of God.
Rather, Jesus shows us another way. Instead of grasping at godliness from a tree, just humbly submits to the Divine Will on a tree. Happiness comes not in sitting in the seat of power, but taking the place of the humble servant. There can be no exaltation, no resurrection, no eternal life, without humility.
So, practically, how is God calling you to practice humility, to imitate the humility of Jesus? Well, that’s something you need to personally pray about, isn’t it? Each of us needs to allow the holy spirit to illuminate those parts of our life which are governed by pride. For pride is often a blind spot until someone points it out. And the Holy Spirit is ready to help us identify: where have I been prideful? In what relationships, in what interactions, in what pursuits am I refusing to serve God? Am I seeking to only serve myself, am I seeking to be served instead of serving?
These week, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the great saints of humility, St. Therese the Little Flower. Here is a young religious, born in obscurity, like Jesus, who dedicated her life to doing small things with great love. For sharing with us her spirituality of humble service, she is now honored as a doctor of the Church—meaning she has something to teach all Christians, of all places, of all times—and offers us an important remedy for our sins.
In her autobiography, St. Therese wrote, “I applied myself above all to practice quiet hidden little acts of virtue; thus I liked to fold the mantles forgotten by the Sisters, and sought a thousand opportunities of rendering them service.” She does something, a lot of somethings, with great love, knowing that they are pleasing to God. She knew she would likely not get any earthly credit for what she was doing. No one would like be able to trace the hidden acts of love back to her, and yet, she knew God saw them, and that is the way to holiness.
God smiles upon those small acts of love, which puts the needs of others before our own. And through those acts of charity, God can enflame our hearts with a burning love and heavenly joy that nothing else in the world can provide.
What a wonderful week to practice a thousand little acts of kindness. And if not a thousand. How about a dozen? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could return to mass next week, knowing that you did a dozen hidden acts of love, that only God could see. Try it.
As we come forward today to the receive the Eucharist, we recognize Jesus who has emptied himself—who has so humbled himself to become food that is gnawed and digested. But he does so, that we may be strengthened in holiness, that we may emulate his own self-emptying and humble service to the Father. May we become what we receive, to quote St. Augustine: Eucharist, humbly broken and poured out for others, humbly offered to the Father, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
