Humility unlocks the blessings and compassion of God

Abu Dhabi, 14 January 2020

Dear brothers and sisters,

In tonight's celebration of the Eucharist, we are invited to meditate on the line in the responsorial-psalm-response: «My heart exults in the Lord my Savior», taken from the first book of Samuel, which echoes the one used in the Virgin Mary's hymn of the magnificat. This hymn expounds the working of the Lord: that God listens to and elevates the humble; that humility unlocks the blessings and compassion of God.

Unfortunately, today humility is becoming a lost virtue in the modern world. Our digital technology seems to make us think about ourselves all the time. Pope Francis in one of his masses in Santa Marta stresses that true humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less." Humility disappears because we are so focused on ourselves that we forget to think about others. We forget that we are as imperfect as everyone around us. The case of Hannah in today's First reading serves to remind us of this. In her humility, she felt humiliated but did not despair. The goodness of God is great and because of this faith, she was healed and bore a son, and named him Samuel. It is in this context that she sings: My heart exults in the Lord my Savior. 

The humility of Hannah, her suffering and humiliation, acceptance but with strong hope on the power of God should always be our attitude. She was open to the kind heart of God. Many people react in anger to the situations that God sends them. Should they not instead accept them as blessings from Him who has the solutions to all the problems? Sometimes God gives us these painful situations so we can be humble and humiliated but from this humility and acceptance will come out a joy and blessing from the same God himself. And sometimes to obtain this God sends a mediator and in this case the person of Eli. He comforts Hannah and gives to her the answer of God with compassion and mercy. 

As priests we are sent as mediators to the people, both joyful and suffering. To the joyful we participate in their joy. To the suffering we bring to them words of consolation, compassion and mercy. And perhaps with our intercession, teaching people to be humble and accept humiliations, solutions could be created, hope enkindled and courage to move forward in life engendered. Why was the intercession of Eli effective? How can we be effective: If we console people with humility, showing a genuine and listening heart, full of compassion and mercy. And God will work goodness to people through our work.

In our pastoral ministry, we cannot be effective ministers if our service is geared to go back to ourselves, for our own good, instead of letting the good end and rest on others. We sometimes get too scared to get out of our comfort zones, and so we render service within this comfort zone. I perform my duty as long as this does not hurt me, this would not inflict me pain. This is where the Holy Father speaks of the Church as a field hospital, and we try to go out to heal people and to get out of these comfort zones. This is not easy and is a challenge. We should learn how to be humble mediators of the compassion and mercy of God, not thinking of our egos but for the good of the other that we minister. This needs humility which is to work for God for others, and not only for ourselves, of caring genuinely about others more than about ourselves. And this is to be humble, to work to heal others, even if we fail and be humiliated sometimes which we willingly accept in our ministry. Then we experience the pain, but with the constant prayer to God, a happy consolation will be bestowed on us. 

The concern for others is again stressed in the gospel as we witness Jesus attending to the people who had been deprived of spiritual nourishment. He does so with compassion and mercy, that he even purifies, and cleanses the man with an unclean spirit. The work of Jesus is profoundly deep and thorough. He fills and satiates those that hunger for the word and at the same time restores those that are unclean. He did not care about himself, or for his disciples only. He wanted to heal people of their wounds. And the people saw his love and humility to serve that they were converted and felt joy and healing. 

By imitating Eli and Jesus, full of love and humility, we can heal people, bring peace and serenity to their troubled hearts, transform hearts full of hate and make them instruments of peace in this troubled world. Our aim is to bring peace and make peace so that love will reign and conquer hatred and this world will become a better place to live in. Then and only then, after being humble, and even ready to be humiliated for the sake of others, can we be effective and sincerely join in singing: My heart exults in the Lord, My Savior. 

The lessons of the personalities in today's reading: Hannah, Eli and Jesus, helps us to have the confidence that the Lord listens to our prayers when we call on Him with all humility. And it is we the priests who should be interpreters of this love and humility of God. Unless we perform our pastoral work in this line with patience and humility we can never bring the confidence to the people that God listens to their prayers. 

I ask all of you, dear brothers and sisters, to pray for your priests in the Vicariate, for all priests in the world that they could be like Eli and Christ in today's readings - effective bringers of joy and healing to people through their example of humility and care, never to be selfish but to work always for the good of others and people whom they serve. 

Amen.