Painting by Ford Maddox Brown
Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cupfrom me; yet, not my will by yours be done.
Lk 2241-42
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death –
even death on a cross.
Phil 2, 6-8
“Humble God” is an oxymoron, or so it would seem; but Jesus’ coming to be with us was humble from his birth to his death. He was always and completely who he had chosen to be: God embracing human form in order to reveal inclusive Divine Love and Mercy. His willingness to walk among us is beyond human comprehension. His willingness to accept death on a cross is humility beyond imagining. Yet, he Most Holy Mystery moved among us and showed us how to live, remaining faithful to his mission of Love.
Palm Sunday readings are full of images of Jesus’ humility. He accepted the weaknesses of his friends and endured their betrayal; he prayed to be spared agonizing death on a cross, but accepted the inevitable climax to his prophetic life. He did not ask to be more than the human flesh he had willingly assumed. Jesus did not defend himself or call on angels to do it for him as some who taunted him suggested.
Instead, he was pure Love until his last breath, forgiving those who killed him and praying for mercy since they did not know what they were doing. This is a God who calls us to follow in his footsteps, to love with every ounce of our being.
PAINTING: “HUMILITY” BY CHIDI OKOYE 
Jesus, my heart weeps when I remember your final days on earth. Your death shows me what I could not imagine: An all-powerful God suffering by choice, to provide an example of what I must do to become one with you; I, too, must be humble, willing to embrace what comes as a reuslt of my efforts to remain faithful to who you made me to be, a tiny reflection of your Love on earth.
Help me see opportunities to be humble as gifts, not as something to avoid, but something to embrace as you did.
Speak Your Mind