Humility: Giving Knowledge and God His Glory

Reflection on Today's Readings and Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Wednesday of 15th Week in Ordinary Time Year II, 15th July, 2020
Texts: Is. 10:5-7,13-16; Ps. 94:5-10,14-15; Matt. 11:25-27
Hosea says, "My people perish for want of knowledge". Where there is a loss of humility   people will be in want of knowledge. Humility disposes one to learning. Hence, Jesus Christ, in today's gospel, says, "I thank you, father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants". An infant is an image of humility. Assyria, in the first reading, is an example of the wise and understanding; these are the people who have made themselves gods and sources of their powers and achievements. They have no need of higher authority; humility is far from them. Humility makes us to recognize our limit and capacity. When we know our limit, we will know what comes to us as gifts. Assyria lacks humility and as such he could not recognize that his achievements were beyond his limit and capacity. When we do not have humility, we claim for ourselves the glory of God. Like Assyria, we will say, "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding". Humility would rather make us speak like Jesus Christ, "All things have been delivered to me by my Father". When we claim for ourselves the glory of God, we are on the way to fall. True is the word, 'Pride goes before a fall'. Hence, about Assyria it is written thus: "Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be Kindled, like the burning of fire". All his glory, his achievements, will be brought to nothing.
St. Bonaventure, whose memorial is today, is a model of humility. He humbled himself that God revealed to him the mystery of his kingdom and through his writings he is recognized as a mystical writer and given the title 'Seraphic Doctor' in the Church. For him all learning must enhance the journey of the mind towards God. His most influential spiritual writing was titled 'Journey of the Mind to God'. By his simple and frugal life, he showed others how the ideals of St. Francis, the founder of their congregation, could be lived in their age and time. This encourages us that it is also possible to live in this our time and age without departing from the gospel values.

Lord our God, infuse in us the virtue of humility that we might grow in knowledge and also give you your glory. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke