Sermon for 9/4/22: Twelfth Sunday After Trinity

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Humble Servants

II Corinthians 3:4-11

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Pride lurks in every heart. It is the tragic heritage of our first parents. But it troubles especially those who are, or imagine themselves to be, above the average in personality, or talent, or achievement. Christians, even the ministers of the Church, are not immune to this. It takes very little to nurture pride and to bring it out into the open. A little success, a little recognition, a few compliments, some good publicity, an election to office, and a person can begin to strut arrogantly in the presence of God and exalt himself proudly above others.

Such pride is never a virtue or an asset. It is always a liability and, often, the forerunner of disaster. Pride demonstrates that a man really does not know himself and that his attitude toward God and his neighbor is not what it should be. Pride is not only sinful; it is also utterly unrealistic and even foolish. In a Christian, pride is proof of spiritual immaturity. Because of this, Holy Scripture continually warns us against pride and urges Christians to weed it out of their hearts and lives.

St. Paul was certainly an inspiring example of Christian humility. In spite of his great success, he was prepared to say, “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God...” Elsewhere in his first Epistle to these Corinthians, he had declared that he was not even fit to be an apostle, and yet that was what he was, with all of its godly power and importance. Paul knew himself to be nothing more than a sinner, and not only because of the original sin that marks all human beings, but also because of his own very open and awful transgressions. The memory of his past sins haunted him, especially his brutal persecution of the Church in its infant days. But even after he had become an apostle, Paul freely acknowledged, “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.”

Paul’s humility was the direct result of his faith in Jesus Christ. He said: “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.” Paul’s humility did not come by way of the knowledge and practice of the Law of God. No one knew that Law better than Paul, and no one had been a greater advocate for that Law. But in spite of this, he had developed into a proud and exceedingly self-righteous Pharisee, devoid of any real humility. The truth is, like all who are overwhelmed by pride, he did not really understand the Law, for when he read it, he felt he was keeping it perfectly. But when he was brought to faith in Christ, he understood the Law as God intended it to be understood. He saw himself as he really was. He saw his sin, especially his pride, in the bright light of the Law. And in that way, a godly humility came to St. Paul.

Humility is a Christian virtue. It is a fruit of faith in Jesus Christ. Of course, an unbeliever may possess a certain kind of humility. But genuine humility, the kind that will stand the test of the divine Law, can only be ours though faith in Jesus Christ. And it can be cultivated only by the prayerful and faithful use of the Holy Gospel and Sacraments, something our sinful nature steadfastly wants to reject. Perhaps this is why it is not just difficult, but even painful, for us to cultivate a true and godly humility.

Paul’s humility was deepened by his recognition of the fact that his qualifications, his ability, and his success was from God. He said, “Our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant.” He was always conscious of the fact that God had made him what he was. “By the grace of God, I am what I am,” he said. God had created him; God had redeemed him in Jesus Christ; God had made him a Christian, endowing him with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, calling him to the apostleship, equipping him with the gifts necessary for his high office. Through Jesus Christ, however, he had the confidence that God would make him fully sufficient as each situation arose. And so, Paul would find himself helpless, except for the merciful sufficiency of God.

The world sees helplessness as weakness. It equates it with cowardice and failure. Paul knew better. You and I know better. Helplessness is where God does His best work. Paul told the Romans, “For when we were still without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.” That grace, a gift that meets our helplessness and saves us in Christ, enables us to serve God and our neighbor in humility, but also with confidence.

Paul is an inspiring example of true humility, a humility that is coupled with a confident outlook on faith and life, all because it is in Jesus Christ. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, may we find in Paul an example so that, no matter how impressive our qualifications and accomplishments may be, we may always know them to come from the sufficiency that comes of God and so remain humble servants of Christ. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.