As Jesus is the cornerstone upon which the Church is built, so are his teachings the unifying cornerstone of Christian doctrine.

Humble pretense vs. humble reality

Some commentators of Jesus’ parable regarding guests and hosts seem to imply that he is encouraging us to act humble for personal gain. The parable is found in the passage Luke 14:1-14. The idea behind false humility is deceiving others so that they will think well of us. Did Jesus teach us to manipulate and mislead others by pretending? True humility is sincere, not deceptive. It literally means that we honestly face the reality that we are only a breath away from returning to dust, humus. Yet, we naturally run from humility. Wealth and possessions and entertainment deceive us into believing that we have a pseudo-immortality, that we can save ourselves or that we are somehow “self-made.” Nothing could be further from the truth. True humility is not faked. It is simply an honest self-estimation without flattery or deception.

No comments: