Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

 Hosea 6:1-6     Luke 18:9-14

In today’s gospel Jesus tells a parable about two people who went up to the temple to pray. His point is to explain to the disciples the importance of humility. The first person, a religious leader assumed to be righteous, praised God for making him unique and names others as greedy and dishonest. The second person, a tax collector, asked God for mercy and forgiveness for being a sinner. The tax collector went back to his home feeling satisfied and helped by God, while the Pharisee returned as the same arrogant person.

This gospel shows how being conceited and thinking you’re better than everyone else won’t allow you to grow as a person. God knows no one can be perfect and wants us to know that too. He forgives us for our mistakes and sins. Acknowledging your wrongs and others’ role in your successes will allow you to become a more humble person.

To me, humility means to show modesty and not brag about personal achievements. I think humility is one of the hardest virtues to practice in our society today. We obviously think highly of ourselves and tend to feel superior to others in different situations. I try to practice humility by not diminishing my successes, but by crediting the people that helped me get there. Thinking less about myself, and more about others. Growing in humility helps you to grow in your relationship with God and be a better person all around.

Lent is a personal journey and a time for us to pray, fast, and reflect. This Lent, challenge yourself to show and practice humility in your daily life.

Q:  When I consider my accomplishments, who are the people that helped me achieve success?

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