Tuesday of Holy Week

"For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength!" -Is 49:5

Today's reading from Isaiah reminds me of the power of humility. I used to think that those two concepts--power and humility--were incompatible, but now I view them as related. When I was in college, one of my favorite prayers was the Litany of Humility. Though it may be doubtful whether I grew in this virtue, something I learned from the prayer was how much influence material possessions, other people’s opinions of me, or my own pride held over--and interfered with--my ability to follow God’s dream for my life. It felt incredibly freeing to realize this, though it remains a constant struggle to actually let go of those things.
Mother Teresa said, “If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.” This is what makes the concept of humility seem so powerful to me: It can free us to fulfill our deepest purpose by listening to God’s hopes and dreams for our lives while relying on God as the unending source of strength and support in that endeavor. I know that I’m not perfect and there are a lot of things I cannot do on my own, but I also know that I am a child of God, a God who loves and helps us all along the way.
 
Lord, during this Holy Week, please help me to meditate on Jesus’ example of humility and ways that I might cultivate this virtue in my own life. 

reflected by Erica Carroll