A Glimpse of Spirituality 靈修一瞥 101 (Luke 14:1, 7-14)       

  

People of this world are pretty skillful in exchange. They will suggest that only smart people can gain without pain. In other words, they deal with people like doing business even in human relationships, and especially with God, they bargain for eternal life by their own boasting. However, when God became a human, the Son of God chose to occupy the lowest possible seat. Thus, humility is Jesus’ theme of life and he teaches us with his good example, i.e. “For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The first “exalt” (hypsōn, present participle) means exalting oneself with haughtiness and empty pride. The second “exalt” (hypsōthēsetai) which is a future passive verb denoting that the faithful will be lifted in heaven by God. The deeper message of this parable is that if we exalt ourselves, and try to earn eternal life by our own efforts, we are going to face embarrassment before the seat of God, the host who has invited us to the banquet of life.

The Pharisees were preoccupied with “earning” a high place in heaven by their own efforts. Jesus counseled them to practice what they preached about God’s concern for the poor and thereby to gain true merit. He reminded us that those who will be saved will not be people like the Pharisees.

Humility is grounded in a spiritual awareness that everything people have is a gift from God, therefore, there will be no reason to boast. We must not use these God-given gifts to elevate ourselves above others. We must recognize that we are made in the image of God and that we are called to help build God’s kingdom with our God-given gifts. We are of value, not because of those gifts but, because we are loved by God as God’s children redeemed by Jesus. St. Augustine said: “Humility makes people angels, and pride makes angels devils.”

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世界的人善於交易。他們認為，只有聰明人才能不勞而獲。換言之，待人接物就像做生意一樣，跟天主交往也沒兩樣，他們擅長用自誇來交換永生。 然而，當主子降生成人時，耶穌選擇了最卑微座位。 因此，謙卑是耶穌生命的主題，他用自己的榜樣教導我們：“凡高舉自己的，必被貶低；凡貶低自己的，必被高舉。”

第一個“高舉”（hypsōn現在時態分詞）意味著以目空一切及空虛驕傲來抬高自己。 第二個“高舉”（hypsōthēsetai）剛好相反，是將來時態被動語態動詞，表示信徒將被天主高舉到天堂。 這個比喻更深層訊息，說明如果人們自我高舉，並試圖單靠自己努力贏取永生，最終在永生盛宴的主人面前無地自容。

法利塞人只是專注在自己的努力“贏得”天上崇高地位。耶穌卻勸告他們要實踐愛德，即他們對人宣揚卻自己不做的愛德工作，從而獲得真正天國。耶穌指出，得救的人不會是法利塞人的那種。

謙卑奠是基於神修，人所擁有的一切都是天主恩賜，因此絕無理由自誇，更不能利用這些恩寵來抬高自己凌駕他人。必須知道，人是按照天主像被創造；被主召叫，就是善用天主恩寵來建立天國。人的價值，不在於擁有恩寵多少，而是被耶穌救贖成為天父親愛兒女。聖奧思定說：“謙卑使人成為天使，驕傲使天使成為魔鬼。”，驕傲使天使成為魔鬼。”