DEACON TOM ANTHONY

Sunday, September 1, 2013









Approaching our lives with humility can bring great rewards and happiness. Too many times in the world today the focus is on status and impression. People dress and act a particular way to project a certain image. So much time and effort is spent to construct a persona either for personal gain or stature. It is natural to be liked and it is intoxicating to be revered by other people. Over time this can become an obsession. We become afraid to let others know who we truly are and are even more afraid to ask for help when we need it; fearing judgment and embarrassment. Because of this, materialism takes over as we struggle to better ourselves through the improvement of our image instead of following the teachings of Christ. We are constantly in danger of spending all of our time and effort on what we perceive are the expectations of society and what society entices us to be. The human person and his or her dignity are lost in a muddle of the desires of the flesh.

To overcome this we must understand that there is something better than the accolades of society and human stature. We have an opportunity to be truly happy if we only ignore the seduction of a world that focuses on pleasing materialistic desires and prideful wants. There is a reason why PRIDE is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. It is intoxicating and can easily become an obsession. Each of the deadly sins are linked. They provide a gateway for the other to enter our lives and corrupt us. Pride will lead to Vanity, Greed, Envy, Lust, Sloth, and Wraith. Start with any of these and then we will work through them all to our utter destruction. If we humble ourselves like slaves we will be able to resist all of these and the temptations of the world. Think of all the possible sins. Why do we sin? There is an arrogance at the root of all of them where our desires take command of our actions and we truly are no longer in control of ourselves. Swept up in the moment we can find ourselves.

The world does not promote humility. In fact, humility is seen as a weakness. Power is admired, money is practically worshiped. Those who do not have one or the other are viewed with contempt. That is why to be Christians we cannot be a part of the world in the way that is expected. When we humble ourselves and become like slaves we already have broken with the physical world and have united ourselves with Christ. As slaves we have nothing to prove and become servants to everyone. We cater to the needs of others and try to raise them up; devoting our lives to helping those who need to be helped. As slaves we should be unable to judge anyone but accept them as they are for we shouldn't be struggling to make ourselves better than them. We have no need too, for we truly are Children of God and know where our future lays: with our Creator. Knowing this, we can be comforted with the fact that no obstacle or ordeal is permanent. God will guide us through every issue and problem with love and care. We serve with love knowing that we are loved. Knowing that we are loved should be knowledge enough to be happy.

When we are humble, we are naturally simplified. We are encouraged to do this in a physical sense as well as spiritual. Simply by living the way that Jesus taught us while not focusing on the grandiose can bring about an understanding of our faith and the pathway to salvation. We do not need accolades or wealth to be happy. It is all about Christ and the pathway to God. Being simplified leads to a type of silence in our lives where we can then listen for God and understand what he wants us to do.

If we put ourselves below everyone else then what is said of us should have no consequence. We should never worry about the judgments of other people since those who do so are sinning by putting themselves in the position of God. The one whose opinion we should worry about is that of our Father whom we should always want to please. Christ told us not to worry about tomorrow or the past. It is our present state with him that should really matter. The past cannot be changed and the future will always be the future. If God is walking with us now then we must realize this as the single most greatest thing in our lives. Our God is walking with us! He loves us so much that he wants to be with us all the time. How truly glorious that is, Yet, God humbles himself to a quiet presence. So humble is God that he waits patiently for us to recognize him and his greatness.

We need to take this lesson of humility from God and become Christlike in our demeanor and actions. Then we can celebrate being a slave.

Deacon Tom


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