Sunday, October 28, 2007

Sermon Notes: October 28

Since this was Family Sunday, I only used some notes for my sermon today.

Pride goeth before a fall, the old saying goes from the book of Proverbs

Story: Yertle the Turtle (text here, wikipedia here)

Pride goeth before a fall, the old saying goes…

Jesus, said, “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Some understood humility to lead to salvation.

From yesterday’s retreat: Amma Theodora said that neither asceticism, nor vigils nor any kind of suffering are able to save, only true humility can do that.

For St. Benedict, he understood our faith journey as one of climbing a ladder of humility.

St. Benedict’s Ladder of Humility (see here)

As we ascend all of these steps of humility, we shall arrive at the love of God which being perfect, casts out all fear. If we persist in observing them, we will begin to keep them without any effort. In time it will no longer be a force of habit, but a way of life. (from the Rule)

“Humility is simply a basic awareness of my relation­ship to the world and my connectedness to all its cir­cumstances. Humility is the admission of God's gifts to me and the acknowledg­ment that I have been given them for others. Humility is the total continuing surrender to God's power in my life and in the lives of those around me.” (Joan Chittister, OSB)

Humility as a way of life. Amen.

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