November 3, 2017

Reflection / Shayna Tews

As you work toward humility, remember God’s great gift to us

Shayna TewsOne thing I struggle greatly with is humility. And I think the Lord is testing me and encouraging me to grow in this virtue, though I am failing time and time again. I get so bothered by words and statements, by my own situation in life. Essentially, we always want more, better, something else, the “grass is always greener.” Satan always promises what he cannot deliver.

It occurred to me at Mass recently—as I prepared and waited for the Eucharist—how in the world do I have a God and king who not only humbled himself in his earthly lifetime and through his death, but humbles himself at each and every Mass, is present to me at each and every Mass, and allows himself to be consumed by sinners like me? Wow!

Name another king who has ever or would ever lower himself in this way? Lower and humble himself to come to his lowly peasants with the giving of himself, over and over again.

Nope. I am coming up with no one else but our great and mighty God. It is his love for us that gives way for this humility. Humility and love go hand in hand.

So the next time I am struggling to humble myself or to be humbled by others—maybe it’s something you also are finding difficult—I will remember who teaches us the ultimate humility. There is no humbling I will ever be asked to do that could in any way touch God’s.

My challenge to myself and to you, the next time we feel humbled, is to smile and thank God for the lesson in virtue … the lesson in love.
 

(Shayna Tews is a member of Annunciation Parish in Brazil.) †

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