IT TAKES HUMILITY TO BE HUMAN.
Just think about those two words: humility and human. They both come from the same Latin root word “humus,” meaning “dirt” or “ground.” This word reminds us of Adam who was formed out of the clay of the ground. Dirt. Then God blew the breath of life into Adam, and Adam became a living being. Humans were made from “humus,” dirt, and are called to be humble. Humility is the ability to be like dirt: supple, receivable, able to be penetrated by water, and able to bear fruit or seed. Humans are “plantable,” “growable,” fruitful. Humans must be humble to be human. The opposite of humility is pride.
It’s interesting — dirt which has been parched of water has a hard time even receiving water. Like floods in desert places: when water hits the desert, it just runs off. If dirt is not supple, pliable, fresh, moist, it resists the very penetration it was made for.
As a matter of fact, the primary temptation of the devil against humans was in that first interaction with Adam and Eve: “Did God really tell you not to eat from the tree? He knows you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1, 5)
God made Adam out of the ground: to be fruitful, supple, pliable, receivable — and to bear fruit for the world. In contrast, the devil said to Adam and Eve: “He doesn’t want you to be plantable. He just wants you to be limited. I promise you no limitations — you will be like gods!” The entire drama of human history has been a drama between humility and pride.
And it was a drama that started with the angels themselves. Did you know humans are not angels? “Well, that’s kind of a stupid statement, Father — of course we know that.” But — do you really know that?
The distinction is this: Humans have “dirt.” Angels are pure spirit. But they are limited spiritual beings — they are not infinite. Their knowledge is limited to the degree of their being. If you have a small angel, you have small knowledge. If you have a big angel, you have big knowledge. Yet, because angels are pure spirit, they possess knowledge to the fullness of their capacity without learning. There’s no such thing as angel schools! Upon creation, an angel was complete in himself, and at the moment he became conscious, he had the full capacity of his knowledge.
At the moment God created the angelic universe, the angels exercised their free will. Lucifer, the greatest of all the angels, looked at God — and said “No.” “Non serviam.” — “I will not serve.” And that “no” was an exercise of free will. Those who said “no” became demons. Those who said “yes” became angels.
The difference between angels and humans is this: Angels possess full knowledge at the moment of their existence. Humans grow.
No matter how young or how old you are, humans grow. A phrase that makes me angry every time I hear it is: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Have you ever heard that phrase? It’s what old people say when they don’t want to try to learn something new. But it’s simply wrong. Some people in the Church have had their greatest fruitfulness after the age of 80! There’s never a time when a human being stops growing.
Humans are not like angels. We don’t have the full capacity of our knowledge all at once.
We grow over time. That’s why there are human schools — but no angel schools! Humans must be taught.
And you will not learn if you’re not humble.
Education is like water on supple dirt.
If you make yourself open to receive, you will grow and become fruitful. You will expand your limitations and fulfill your human nature — which finds its greatest expression in love. But if you are arrogant, self-centered, self-opinionated, proud — you will remain ignorant. Like water running off parched desert dirt, knowledge will just rush off you. Because you will think you already know everything.
The dumbest person in the world is the one who thinks they already know everything.
To be human is to be humble. Unless we understand that — no matter how young or how old we are — we won’t grow. We have to be able to receive truth, so we can come to a deeper understanding of the life God has given us.
Now, another image: Did you know that constructing a bridge starts from both sides of a river and is built to meet in the middle? You don’t build a bridge by going all the way from one side to the other — apparently it doesn’t work that way.
Knowledge is like a bridge.
Humans are highly intelligent. If you think about it, it’s astounding what we’ve accomplished in human history. The universe has been around for billions of years. Humans — modern humans — have been around for about 250,000 years. And look what we’ve done: electricity, the periodic table, artificial intelligence, beautiful art! It’s staggering what humans have accomplished.
Human knowledge is a beautiful thing. But, like building a bridge, it has to meet in the middle with God’s knowledge. Revelation is God sharing with humans what we could never figure out on our own — like “I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35), or that God loves us so much He would die rather than be separated from us.
Revelation is God’s side of the bridge.
If the bridge doesn’t meet in the middle, it doesn’t work.
Human knowledge without revelation falls apart, like a bridge built only from one side of a river.
It takes humility to be human. It takes humility to receive the revelation of Jesus Christ: that God became man, that He loves the world so much He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life (cf. John 3:16).
Now, here’s my last point: It takes humility to hear the Word of God — and conform your life to it.
Stephen, in the Acts of the Apostles, was murdered because he proclaimed Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man. (cf. Acts 7). The people who stoned Stephen would have rather murder Stephen, to keep him quiet, than let him live and listen to him. And, today, in the same way, some people don’t want to hear truth. They would rather “murder” the speaker than receive the message.
Everything I’ve said today builds up to this one simple point: The Church will confront you with her teachings.
And, when that happens, you may rather not listen than receive. But the truth is this: The Church is a teacher.
We are called to listen to the Church and conform our lives to her — because through her, we receive Jesus Christ. God spoke in Jesus Christ, and the Church echoes His message throughout the centuries. St. Paul said this exactly to Timothy when he said, “You should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15, NABRE)
It takes humility to listen. It takes humility to learn.
At some point, the Church will confront you with a teaching that will challenge you.
When that happens — what are you going to do?
Will you receive it, like the supple dirt from which humans were made, and grow in humility? Or will you try to “stone” the messenger and refuse to receive like water in the dry desert?
It takes humility to be human.
Humans grow by learning. Human knowledge must meet God’s knowledge, and the bridge by which this happens is the Church. God teaches us through the Church. And because of her, we have the Truth — who is Jesus Christ.
Father Jarrod Lies, Pastor