Tuesday of the
Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
(Titus 2:1-8.11-14; Luke 17:7-10)
The beloved Latin teacher had a brusque way of addressing
his students. He called them “pinheads.” He did not intend to be mean or
insulting. He probably only wanted his charges
to retain some humility as they grew into adulthood. In any case, his students did not resent the
teacher’s rudeness. They appreciated his
dedication to his profession. Both
readings today call for a similar curtailing of how people think of themselves.
The first reading admonishes young men “to control
themselves.” This counsel applies to
different aspects of life including the way people estimate their abilities. Most
tend to exaggerate their them to the extent that they fail to see the virtues
of everyone else. In the gospel Jesus
tells his disciples to think of themselves as “unprofitable servants” – a sure
way to avoid pride in our utilitarian society.
Humility recognizes that all our goodness has God as its
source. It moves us to thank God for His
beneficence toward us. Humility also
recognizes that others have abilities that we don’t have. It then prompts us to acknowledge them as God’s
handiwork worthy of esteem.
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