There is a fine line between humility and self-confidence.  It is hard to know where to draw that line.  The British preacher and clergyman Charles Spurgeon opined that, “Humility is to make a right estimate of one’s self.”  To paraphrase a famous Supreme Court Justice, we may not know how to define humility, but we know it when we see it.  We also know false humility when we see it. Jane Austen wrote, “Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility.  It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast.”

Our gospel today invites us to consider the nature of humility.  It might be best described as the ability to empty one’s self of ego and embrace the role of servant.  The Lord invites us to use the gifts that we have to their fullest.  We are called to recognize that those gifts are to be used for the building up of the Kingdom of God, not the Kingdom of Me.  Humility enables us to see our capacity for service and to experience the joy of selfless love.  It enables us to be the model of Christ, the humble servant.  St. Augustine leaves us with this realization about the virtue: “There is something in humility which strangely exalts the heart.”  May our hearts be exulted today and always!