Humility is perhaps one of the most difficult virtues to practice. Just when we think we have become humble, something happens that reveals how much we still need to grow.
How often do we think we are better than others? How often do we refuse to listen because we believe we already know the answer? How often do we hear the call to be generous, yet turn away from someone in need? And perhaps most importantly, how often do we struggle to surrender our plans, desires, and expectations to the will of God?
True humility is not thinking less of ourselves. It is recognizing who we truly are before God—with our gifts and weaknesses, our successes and failures—and realizing that everything we have is ultimately a gift.
For us Catholics, one of the most beautiful examples of humility is Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Her entire life was an act of surrender to God. At the Annunciation, she responded with words that have echoed through the centuries:
“May it be done to me according to your word.”
Mary did not know everything that awaited her. She did not have all the answers. Yet she trusted. Her humility allowed her to place her life in God’s hands.
And, of course, the perfect example of humility is Jesus himself. St. Paul beautifully describes Christ’s self-emptying love in his Letter to the Philippians:
“He emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave…
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.”
(Philippians 2:7–8)
It is through this lens of humility that we can understand this Sunday’s Gospel, the Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28–32).
The first son initially refuses his father’s request to work in the vineyard. But later, he changes his mind and goes. The second son immediately says, “Yes, sir,” but never follows through.
There is something beautiful about the first son: he was willing to change.
Perhaps this is one of the clearest signs of humility—the willingness to admit that we were wrong, to change our minds, to change our ways, and to begin again.
Pride says, “I know. I am right. I don’t need to change.”
Humility says, “Lord, I still have much to learn. Show me your way.”
The Christian life is not about pretending that we are perfect. It is about allowing God to change us again and again. We stumble, we learn, we repent, we grow, and by God’s grace, we begin again.
Everything that happens in our lives—success or failure, health or illness, abundance or scarcity—can become an invitation to humility. In our successes, humility reminds us to be grateful. In our failures, it teaches us to learn. In abundance, it calls us to generosity. In times of difficulty, it invites us to trust and surrender.
Perhaps, then, one of the most beautiful prayers we can offer each day is simply:
“Lord, give me a humble heart—a heart willing to listen, willing to change, willing to serve, and willing to surrender to your will.”
May God give us the grace to become humble enough to say with Mary, “Let it be done to me according to your word,” and courageous enough, like the first son in the Gospel, to change our ways and return to the vineyard whenever God calls us.
Much love,
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California
