Father Dominic Emmanuel

In the Judeo-Christian tradition there are interesting episodes about fallen angels who lost the war that erupted in heaven between good and bad angels. “Bad angels, an oxymoron”, you might say. Well! Angels became bad, it is said, because in their pride they wanted to equal God. It is not important whether an actual war broke out in heaven but the point of the story is that the pride of the angels made them challenge God. This, of course, brought about their fall. As the Bible says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
Pride brings much misery, first to the victim of arroga­n­ce, followed by the misfortune to the proud themselves. The problem with pride is that it keeps one focused on on­eself instead of others, be that “other” one’s neighbo­ur, a colleague, a classmate, a fellow traveller or even a friend.
The opposite of pride is humility which focuses on others first. A humble person is often in the background, rarely claiming any attention for oneself. S/he is a joy to be around as this person, instead of having an intimidating presence, puts everyone at ease. S/he does not try to prove her/himself by pulling others down.
Humility works as the foundation of one’s spiritual edifice. It removes pride and makes a person subject to and a fit recipient of grace. As St. James says: “God resists the proud, and gives His grace to the humble” (James 4:6) and, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2).
The supreme example of humility in the Bible is Jesus himself. Before sitting down with his disciples for his last earthy meal he performed an unprecedented act. Having washed their feet he said, “…If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:13-15). This was a total turnaround from the Jewish practice of the time. St. Paul once wrote to the people of Philippi, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).
Teaching his disciples humility, he once said, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men — extortionists, unjust, adulterers or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess’. And the tax collector, standing far off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:10-11). Thus, as evidenced in the lives of all saints, we find that holier the person, the more humble s/he is.
Despite Jesus’ teachings, human nature often tried to ta­­ke the better of his disciples: “An argument among the di­sciples broke out as to which of them was the greatest. And Jesus instructed them, ‘…he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves’” (Luke 22:26-27).
While the call to be humble might appear demanding in this time and age, where we can probably all begin our exercise in humility is by trying out one simple ex­ample as suggested by Jesus and which can come ha­n­dy in several situations. Once when Jesus was invited to someone’s house, he noticed how people chose the be­st places and he told them, “When you are invited by so­meone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honour, lest someone more distinguished than you be in­vited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man’, and then you be­gin with shame to take this lowest place” (Luke 14:8-9).

— Father Dominic Emmanuel, a founder-member of Parliament of Religions, is currently the director of communication of the Delhi Catholic Church. He was awarded the National Communal Harmony Award 2008 by the Government of India. He can be contacted at frdominic@gmail.com