Have you ever been humbled? Some of us in our culture see being humble as a negative characteristic. We seem to think that a humble person is one of low stature and who deserved to be walked over and taken advantage of Yet without humility all we have left is ego. A true balance of self-worth does nor inflate nor deflate our true value as children of God. This theme is continued in the second reading where we hear that no human being might boast before God. Before him none are powerful, none are strong, none of us are wise, none of us count for anyrhiJ1g. All we have and are, are gifts from God, therefore, “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord,” not in ourselves.
Someone once called the sayings in today’s Gospel the “BE Attitudes”. Jesus reminds us that the way the world sees things is not the way God sees things. How do we view the world and our place in it? What kind of attitude do we have when we sec others? When we sec injustice? When we see those who have suffered loss of a loved one. How do we treat those who have lost their employment? How do we respond when we are persecuted for the sake of righteousness? How do we respond when people insult you and persecute you because of our faith in Jesus?
Countenance of God 