Humility
One day when Jesus had finished teaching, he turned to Simon Peter and said, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Being a fisherman, Simon knew that fishing during the heat of the day was a waste of time. The fish go into deeper water which the nets will not reach. Simon has an opportunity to assert his expertise by teaching Jesus how fishing really works. Instead, he says, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” He and the others are surprised to find Jesus is right! They catch a lot of fish. (Read the full story in Luke 5:1-11.)
We can all cite examples of people who have all the answers, cling desperately to power and lack the humility to listen to others. Yet this past Sunday we witnessed the opposite when President Biden stopped his campaign for reelection. Whether or not you agree with his politics and policies, in an age in which so many politicians cling to power and self-delusion, it is worth noting when someone in power chooses to let go of his own ambition in favor of the common good.
“A humble knowledge of oneself is a surer road to God than a deep searching of the sciences,” the 15th century monk Thomas à Kempis wrote in The Imitation of Christ. “For true learning is good in itself and ordained by God; but a good conscience and a holy life are always to be preferred.” Humility, he reminds us, is at the heart of a whole and holy life.
President Biden’s initial and stubborn reluctance to step aside reminds us he is not a perfect example of humility. Everyone who has been, is, or wants to be the President of the United States must have a sizeable ego. But there is a significant difference between those who desire to rule over others and those who seek to walk with and serve others. Whose actions should we praise? The one who clings to power or the one who lets go? What does Jesus tell us? “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)
“At the Day of Judgement,” Thomas à Kempis wrote, “we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done; not how eloquently we have spoken, but how holy we have lived. Tell me, where are now all those Masters and Doctors whom you knew so well in their lifetime in the full flower of their learning? Other [people] now sit in their seats, and they are hardly ever called to mind. In their lifetime they seemed of great account, but now no one speaks of them.”
One final note: a few people have asked about the song I sang during my sermon this past Sunday. You’ll find a lovely recording on YouTube of Anne Dodson singing “Prayer.” The next few months promise to be tense and challenging. We need whatever tools we can find to remind us that we are always surrounded, in the best and the worst of times, by the peace of Christ.
All before me peaceful, all behind me peaceful, under me peaceful, over me peaceful, all around me peaceful, all around me peaceful. (“Prayer,” words and music by Josh Bogin)
