by: Carlo S. Dureza
Many years back, I remember an episode of a late night talk show on television catch my attention. As I was downing the last morsels of my dinner, my eyes got glued on a panel of movie celebrities discussing an interesting topic. It was about a question thrown by the program’s host: What could be the most difficult thing a person could do? My mind began to roll in wonder as thoughts kept on bombarding my mind. My reaction was that the question courted a herculean answer. A barrage of images entered my mind on what could “most difficult thing” be?
A member of the panel blurted, “the most difficult thing a person could do is to give up his pride”. His fellow members mused in agreement. My heart seemed to have jolted at that. This remark is nonetheless true. A strong, debilitating trait in every Christian human being is that monster within him, PRIDE. It disables instead of encourages. It hurts rather than enlightens. It makes you lose miserably than makes you gain. There are no victors in a relationship when pride sets in.
In today’s Sunday Gospel reading (Luke 6: 27-38), we are taught to love our enemies, to love those who hate you, to turn our other cheek to those who strike you and to do good to those who curse you. Such a tall order!! Could anyone actually do that? We are asked not to judge so we will not be judged, not to condemn so as not to be condemned for the measure we give will be the measure to be used on us. We must give generously in order that we will receive in our sack a good measure, full and running over. This is Jesus’ way of living. He has fully shown the defiance of pride through the power of the Cross.
In our relationships, we hate to be at fault. We disdain being judged and condemned. We remove ourselves from the glare of ridicule. But our broken nature could never exempt us from human weaknesses. We shall always commit mistakes. We will always hide from the shadows of our guilt. But by the grace of God, our pride could be transformed into humility. This is the grace that makes nothing impossible. It is the grace of HUMILITY. Humility enables us to accept the pain of honestly admitting our shortcomings, emptying our hearts of bitterness and breaking the strains of enmity. This will make us do what seems to be impossible: to love our enemies.
Let us always desire to be humble. Let us ask God to grant us this grace. With God, nothing is impossible.
