He did not presume to know

Have you ever met someone whose very demeanor spoke of self-importance? And has that person ever been a person of the cloth?

I ran into one today.  "Good morning, Father," I said in greeting. "Monsignor!" he immediately corrected, looking down at me disapprovingly. As he stood there, his nose and his chin elevated in an attitude of superiority, I almost laughed. So you're one of those I thought to myself.

The occasion was a funeral for a young man, 20 yrs old, who died tragically in a car accident. As I stood there and heard him go on and on and on about what he decided would be best for the family, and what would not be, I wanted to say, How dare you. How dare you presume to think you know! I disagreed with him. I lost someone that young in a similar accident just a little over a year ago. I was that grieving family.

When I reflected on the incident of today, it occurred to me that that is why Jesus came as a child, and was born in a stable. He didn't presume to know what it was like to be us, to be poor, or cold, or hungry, or betrayed or suffering or any other human emotion. He came to be us. In effect, he came to be humble.

Humility is a great virtue because in essence it says, I don't presume to know. In essence it says, I want to listen, I want to hear you, I want to learn.