The Eve of Palm Sunday [April 12, 2003]
Canon
Richard T. Nolan
"…. The Example of his Great Humility…"
Negative "Humility"
In tonight's Collect we acknowledged that God sent Jesus the Christ to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility. Does this mean that Christian humility must always entail suffering, that following Christ's way has little joy and much gloom? Is there a built-in masochism to Christ's way of life? There have always been many Christians who grovel in negativity and misery, Christians who are fixated on Good Friday shadows as the core of Christian living, Christians preoccupied with sin and guilt.
Humility in some circles suggests an obsessive self-denial, self-belittlement, self-exclusion and spiritual masochism. In this sense of humility, people live by such creeds as "I am insignificant; I don't count at all; only others are important." Curiously, this "lowlier-than-thou" attitude usually leads to a "holier-than-thou" arrogance; such persons expect to be commended for their lowliness, inferiority, and insignificance. Their nurtured selflessness becomes a subtle instrument for controlling others; after all, how can you quarrel with someone who is both pious and self-sacrificing? Of this type of person, a psychiatrist wrote: "The 'unselfish' person does not want anything for himself; he lives only for others, is proud that he does not consider himself important. He is puzzled to find that his relationships closest to him are unsatisfactory.... Analytic work shows that ... he is pervaded by hostility against life and that behind the facade of unselfishness a subtle but not less intense self-centeredness is hidden ..."1
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, he exhibited none of these downhearted qualities. Biblical humility as lived throughout his life is substantially different from our common understandings.
Biblical Humility
Years ago my mentor wrote these words in a major biblical reference work: "Within the Biblical frame of reference, humility is not primarily an attitude towards oneself at all, but towards God and towards other persons. Briefly, it means the willingness to let God be God; that is, to acknowledge one's dependence upon His creative power; to rejoice in gratitude for His blessings; to adopt the ways of the Lord as one's own; to accept in contrition the judgment of God when one falls short; to trust His power and willingness to forgive and redeem. In relations between persons, humility is again, not primarily an attitude towards oneself, but towards others ...Biblical humility entails the recognition of others as invited guests at the Lord's own banquet table. The result is a regard for the will, the purposes, the feelings of others ..." [Cherbonnier, "Humility," Hastings Dictionary of the Bible, rev.ed.; also, this theme is discussed in Cherbonnier's Hardness of Heart, pp. 162-3; both sources cited here are within the Cherbonnier subsite.]
Holy Week and Humility
With the beginning of Holy Week, Episcopalians and many other Christians may experience a multitude of customs, practices, and traditions - many of which date to the origins of the Church. As overwhelming as it may be at times, we may be assured that every symbol has meaning and purpose. Our individual appreciation of, and involvement in, such sacred theatre is a matter of belief, personal aesthetics and devotional preferences. In all instances, whether observed simply or with elaborate pageantry, the meanings of all Episcopal liturgies are based on weighty historical events, on God's acts in history and real individuals of the past who continue to impact human lives. It is important that the symbolic nature of each rite, including the blessing and distribution of palm crosses, be understood at least modestly; otherwise, they become a shallow exercise in ceremonial and fantasy.
However, bear in mind that there are more than a dozen time-honored meanings assigned to Christ's Entry into Jerusalem through his Good Friday execution. A fundamental significance of these commemorations is that Jesus lived faithfully as God's Word, even in a crisis. "The example of his great humility" referred to in the Collect entails the unfaltering centrality of God in his life, his steadfast love for his neighbor and himself, and his willingness in extreme circumstances to set aside his own wellbeing and even suffer to the death. Clearly you and I as his disciples are called to live in humility - with an unyielding centrality of God in our lives; with loving, equal regard for our neighbors and ourselves; and with our willingness to set aside our own contentment and endure suffering when crises necessitate it.
Holy Week can assist you and me to remember with heart and mind Jesus Christ as the faithful Word of God who converted a simple meal to the Eucharistic celebration - the Word of God who chose to suffer betrayal, torture, and execution rather than compromise. Regrettably, during these pensive days we can lose sight of the focal point of every Christian commemoration. We may mistakenly suppress what occurred immediately after the events of this week: namely, the Resurrection - the joyful context that permeates the way of the Lord, the way of repentance with God's mercy and forgiveness. Even Good Friday observances take place within the light of Easter. During the coming week I would urge you to read unhurriedly the account of Christ's ordeal; read it reflectively, appreciatively and prayerfully in anticipation of Easter Day, the primary day of the Christian year.
My fellow worshipers, you and I are called neither to intentional self-inflation nor to calculated lowliness. When contrite and forgiven, we are not required to court misery and wallow pathologically in an exaggerated sense of guilt and unworthiness. Instead, Christian humility entails an equal regard for oneself and others approaching the Lord's Table, an affirmation and consideration of other individuals of good will, and the heartfelt conviction that the Lord God is the Sovereign center of the universe. Biblical humility challenges us regarding what we do tonight in our worship and fellowship and, as well, how we live outside this building. It is indeed Good News that we are called upon to live among others humbly - following the holy example of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
1 Erich Fromm, Man for Himself (New York: Rinehart & Co., Inc. 1947), pp. 132f.
The Collect
Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Blessing of the Palms
Almighty God, we praise you for the acts of love by which you have redeemed us through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. On this day he entered the holy city of Jerusalem in triumph, and was proclaimed as King of kings by those who spread their garments and branches of palm along his way. Let these branches be for us signs of his victory, and grant that we who bear them in his name may ever hail him as our King, and follow him in the way that leads to everlasting life; who lives and reigns in glory with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.