Humble Ourselves

 

I want to pre-note this writing by thanking you for taking time to respond to what I say. A Catholic Moment, in some ways, is an “international classroom.” We learn from one another and pray for one another. Your responses encourage, inspire, and correct what we write. Some of you share enhancements on an idea, others talk about how the Holy Spirit touched you through a writing, and still others correct us when we get off track—as last week when Mary commented on what I said about celebrity suicides.

I look forward to reading your comments. They are a blessing to me. Through them the Holy Spirit touches my heart. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we mentioned the country we live in when we share with one another? We are truly a universal Church! Let me add that when someone submits a prayer request, I pray for them immediately—and I suspect other readers do so as well.

Writing is a ministry of the Holy Spirit. Responding to what is written and sharing one’s own insights is also a work of the Holy Spirit. We all participate in the teaching ministry of Jesus Christ.

That said, let’s reflect on our first reading today (1 Kings 21:17-29).

The evil king, Ahab, was a murderer and a thief. Through the prophet Elijah, God confronted him with his sin and told him of what his end would be.

“In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs shall lick up your blood, too.”

Elijah went on to say:

“Because you have given yourself up to doing evil in the Lord’s sight, I am bringing evil upon you. I will destroy you and will cut off every male in Ahab’s line…”

In a surprise twist, this evil man repented.

“When Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth, and went subdued…Then the Lord said (to Elijah): ‘Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his time.”

Notice it says that Ahab humbled himself “before me.” It was not just a public apology to get the people to like him again. It was a gesture of prayer before the Lord of all that is. He admitted that he was a creature whose ego had been given full reign, and so he became as clay again, submitting himself to the hand of the divine “Potter.” Though Ahab was steeped in the worst of sins, the heart of God was moved, and he showed him mercy.
Our sins are small compared to Ahab’s. Nevertheless we are called to follow his example and humble ourselves often before the throne of God. St. John reminded us in his first letter that we are all sinners, and if we say differently, we are liars (1 John 1:8).

This is not cause for going on a guilt trip or putting ourselves down. God is in the business of building up our self-esteem, not making us feel bad about ourselves. He is in the business of wiping away our guilt, not adding to it. Humility comes from the word “humus”—“dirt.” We remind ourselves that we, like Adam, are clay that was brought to life by the breath of God. All we are and all that we achieved are the work of his hand—it is his breath working through us. We fall short in “what we have done and what we have failed to do.” So we go before our merciful Abba, and present ourselves “just as we are” to his smiling face—asking him to pour his mercy into those parts of us that generate pride. If he could be moved by the prayer of Ahab, think how he is moved so much more by the humble prayer of one of his adopted children!

Remember how St. Therese of Lisieux rejoiced when she detected a sin in herself. This gave her yet another opportunity to run to her Abba, get another hug from him, a reassurance that he still loved her, and a dose of healing mercy. After all, don’t most of our sins spring from those parts of us that do not feel loved enough? And isn’t our prideful-ness a cover-up for those parts of us where we feel shame?

So, we go into a time of quiet and experience the tender love of our Abba. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us see ourselves as we are—reflections of God and at the same time sinners who need his mercy and forgiveness. We remain always his “works in progress.” We humble ourselves by allowing the Holy Spirit to “deflate our egos” so as to make more room for Jesus to live inside us.

“Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me” (Ps 51:4).

About the Author

Author Bob Garvey lives in Louisville, Kentucky. He has a master’s degree in religious education and has been an active leader in the Catholic charismatic renewal for forty years. After retiring as a high school teacher, he began to write daily commentaries on the Church’s liturgical readings and other topics relevant to Catholic spirituality. He is married to Linda, has three daughters and four grandchildren.

Author Archive Page

33 Comments

  1. Thank you for the very inspirational thoughts :)))) God is the perfect man who humbled Himself and saved us from our sins :)) God bless you always and take care

  2. Thank you Bob, always blessed by your message. May the lord continue to deflate our egos so that we are moulded into better Christians. I live in Nigeria.

    Thanks again and God bless

  3. I was furious about Ahab. But surely if God forgave Ahab what about me. This reflection truly inspired me to humble myself before God. Thanks Bob.

    My name is James from Kenya.

  4. Thank you Bob for the wonderful reflection. May you be blessed with the power of Holi Spirit and write many more inspirational reflections. I am from India ?

  5. Thanks Bob for the wonderful reflection. Today’s readings remind us of the need to be responsible of what we do and say. From what Jezebel and Ahab did, their generation was cursed. Although Ahab was spared because he relented his children were not. My sins can affect my children and generations to come.Our relationship with God is personal and will stand alone to be judged according to how we lived. We live in hope because if He forgave Ahab there is hope for us as well. God bless. I am from Kenya and the Catholic Moment reflections really inspire me.

  6. Thank you Bob for the lovely reflection. The line that struck me is We remain always his “works in progress.”
    – My name is Mercy from India

  7. thank you all for catholic moment and thank you for mention about st. Therese from Lisieux who is one of my favourite saint and also patron of my educational activieties. I am from Poland and love reading catholic moments, getting wonderful inspiration and learning Devine English 😉

  8. Please pray for my cousin Zofia. She is very ill in hospital. Biopsy today but doctors already suspect pancreatic cancer. Thank you for your prayers. God bless the catholic community all over the world. Love from Poland

  9. Thank you so much Bob. Let me quickly add this – this is the difference between Adam and Ahab. Adam like we read some Sundays ago blamed his wife Eve for his sins and that caused so much suffering. Even if Ahab was engineered by his wife, he didn’t mention it because he was advised and ‘not forced’. May God help us to take responsibility for our actions and be humble enough to sincerely seek his mercy and forgiveness. This accounts for the prayer we pray during mass – Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. The Church tries to teach us that every sin is the fault of the sinner and there is no forgiveness without responsibility. God bless us all. Thank you Bob.

  10. Bob, wonderful reflection on Gods love and mercy. The good graces of the Lord are given to us through repentance and humility. Thank you always for your writings and please continue to feed us with the good news of Jesus our savior. Following the CM from the good ole USA. May God Bless us all.

  11. “God is the business of building up our self-esteem, not making us feel bad about ourselves”! Wow. Very encouraging. Through the grace of God may we embrace His many graces and blessings. Thanks Bob. God bless you. I am from Kenya.

  12. I just went back and your comment on the suicides and Mary’s response. She makes sense. Thank you, Mary, and thank you, Bob.
    Bob in the USA.

  13. My day always begins with Catholic Moments. I gain great encouragement, calmness and happiness from each writer, thank you so very much.

    I love the international contributions. No matter the location we are all praying for the same outcome. From Buffalo, NY USA.

  14. I love the idea of telling us the country you’re from. I too try to start my day with the gospel readings, a Catholic Moment, and prayer. I try to pray for the whole Catholic Moment family. Thank you Bob and everyone! I am from the United States.

  15. Greetings and thank you, Bob. May the good Lord continue to fill you with the Holy Spirit so that you may continue with the ministry of writing, which you do very well.

    I live in Fairfax, Virginia, which is just outside of Washington, DC in the USA.

  16. Thank you Bob for your reflection today. Please pray for the recovery of our friend Michelle who suffered a stroke yesterday.

  17. Good Morning Bob. Thank you for your dedication and inspiring words. I post a small reflection on the daily gospel message to a group of people in my faith sharing group. I often read the reflection on this site to find an image or word that I can then expand upon and share with our group. Keep up the great work and thank you for your service.

  18. Thank you, Bob. A Catholic Moment is a true blessing. Each of the writers has their own style for bringing the gospels to life. I also start my days with the readings and Catholic Moment. My prayers are with Zofia and her family. May God lay his healing hands upon her and give her strength. I pray for peace and comfort for Zofia’s family. I’m in Cleveland, Ohio USA.

  19. God bless you Bob and the entire community of The Catholic Moment writers and readers! My day begins with this group and fulfills my spirit! I am Mary from Oklahoma, USA.

  20. Thanks Bob for this very inspiring reflection. We learn a lot about Ahab’s greed. All he wanted was Naboth’s Vineyard and did not care how Jezebel would put it into his hands and when he was told that the vineyard was free for his taking he did not ask questions he just went ahead to possess it. May our good Lord save us from such greed.
    I am a Kenyan and Bob may our good Lord continue giving you more wisdom to pass to us through Catholic Moment. May God bless all of us in this Community and heal those us who are sick or suffering in any way.

  21. I always look forward to starting my day reading A Catholic Moment. It was interesting to learn that our sins spring from feeling unloved/unworthy, and pride comes out of the areas we feel shame. What a revelation! I learn something new every day from these talented writers. So amazing how many people our Lord brings together from around the world! I’m from Kansas City, Missouri USA.

  22. Thank you for your insights. May we all pray for world leaders that they would humble themselves. I’m from Iowa,USA. So worried for our undocumented neighbors.

  23. Hey Bob,

    Ahab. Seems like there is a little bit of him in all of us. We want something we can’t have. We also tend to disregard what we know is right and listen to only advice we want to hear. Sometimes it is possible that this wanting turns to an obsession. For an example, look no further than Captain Ahab in Moby Dick. (Herman Melville picked the perfect name for that character in his novel).

    Of course what concerns me is when God say that he will bring evil upon Ahab and his house in his son’s time. Ultimately Ahab’s act of humility doesn’t alter what was prophesied about his death, see vs 38. This leads me to ask what I’ve asked before, if God is love, how can He bring evil upon anyone?

    My prayers go out to those readers who have asked for them.

    Mark

  24. Good morning, I learn a great deal both from the reflections and the comments shared by the international community. I am likely like many people who listen (read in this case) and consider, but do not come forward until I am moved strongly to speak (or write). I am sometimes in Canada and sometimes in Mexico. (In both countries, I feel many people are moving away from the Catholic faith. I wonder if anyone can reassure me that this is not so.)

  25. Hey Bob,
    Thank you for your beautiful reflections I find them very refreshing!

    Please pray for the soul Michele Auger, he ended his life on Sunday and his wife and boys are also in need of prayer.

    I just turned 19 yesterday and I am reading from Quebec, Canada!

    Cheers,
    Raquel 😀

  26. Thank you Bob for your beautiful sharing. I am grateful for all that share on A Catholic Moment, but I have to say that you are one if my favorites ?. What a beautiful thing to be reminded that we are brothers and sisters scattered all over the world, and how special it is that we can come together here to share and pray with and for one another. God bless you all! You are all in my prayers as are your intentions. As we read so much about God’s grace and forgiveness, I ask if you could pray for my mother who is filled with anger and resentment. I pray for a softening of her heart and that the Lord’s forgiveness and peace fill her. Have a beautiful day!

    Wendy

  27. ” I will bring the evil upon his house during the reign of his
    son.” These words REALLY bother me. They don’t seem like words from my God.
    “The Church tries to teach us that every sin is the fault of the sinner and there is no forgiveness without responsibility as Abayenimebor David said above. I agree with him and believe this might be the thoughts of our God. Please help me understand the Biblical words.
    Also, let us pray for the parents and children separated at the Mexican border and prayers for the leaders to act on the morality of this evil practice. From Michigan.

  28. Whenever there is conflict in life it has to do with ego. It is ego that keeps us away from God and the message of the Holy Spirit. Ego wants it all, as Ahab showed. Ego wants to win, be on top, be the most beautiful, the most terrific, own the most, and never be mediocre. Unfortunately in America, we have government leaders that fit this bill. We have Evangelical Christians and other Christians that support this kind of behavior. Sheep in wolves clothes. We need to remember to ask fo God’s grace and blessings to see through all the falsehood. We need to stand united as Christians to be the image of light and love to all the people of the world. Jesus be our light, be our leader. I pray for all those asking for prayers on this platform. God bless the world. Thank you Bob for inspiring us weekly. California

  29. Anonymous
    To judge should be left for God to do. We must humble ourselves and note that God does what is Godlike.
    South Africa.

  30. Thank for your inspirational words, they leave us with much to think about, answers to our questions, love and kindness to be shared. Blessings to all from SA, Texas

  31. “Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me” (Ps 51:4).
    Thank you Bob for your reflection. Ever since i started reading the reflection a year ago, I have tried to read the pages every morning before I go to work and also before my morning mass or evening mass ( the latter when I miss my morning mass). Catholic moment page has contributed much to my spiritual journey.

    I am from kenya and seeing posts from people all over the world has greatly gen encouraged me .
    Please Bob and All pray for me as I begun looking for a job . I have been informed that my role will be declared redundant from 1st July and I have been experiencing not good mood swings …..bitter towards my employers, quick to anger, panicky , removed etc. when I pray am at peace….my prayer request is to get a job and also to be at peace with the current situation.

  32. now I’m curious about what correction you got ‘re the celebrity suicides. That aside, I’m troubled by the word that God would spare Ahab but not his son! Why would God do that?

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