First Reading- Zephaniah 3:1-13
Gospel - Matthew 21:28-32
Humility is a virtue that is highly exalted in the scripture. The virtue of humility not only exalts the other but also gives greater value and importance to others. Why does the virtue of humility find a great place in the Bible? It is because it gives due reverence to God and doesn't unduly exaggerate the importance of self. The readings of the day help us to reflect upon the virtue of humility and consequences of humble life in the sight of God.
In the first reading, the prophet Zephaniah gives a strong contrast between the first couple of verses and the later part. Much of Zephaniah consists of warnings immediately before the assault on Jerusalem by the Babylonian armies: the net is already closing in on the rebellious city. This is balanced by the later promises to the ‘humble and lowly people’ who are left in Israel after the Exile. These verses are typical of the post-exilic spirituality, when the chastened remnant of Israel had learnt not to trust in their own powers, since their only hope lay in taking refuge in the forgiveness and strength of the Lord.
The gospel also presents the contrast in the parable; the son who said 'no' to the request of his father but later repented and obeyed him and the second son who said 'yes' to the request of his father but didn't obey him. This contrast reflects the lives of Pharisees and Scribes who initially said 'yes' to the way of life proposed by God and enshrined in the Law but they got deviated, whereas tax-collectors and prostitutes initially said 'no' the ways of God but listening to John's call of repentance, they realized their faults and returned to embrace the ways of God. That's why Jesus says that the tax-collectors and sinners are making their way to the kingdom.
What's the reason that some repented but others didn't. It's because of the pride of the Pharisees and Scribes who boasted about the knowledge of the Law and Scriptures, whereas, the tax-collectors and sinners had nothing to boast but to humble themselves to the mercy of God. This is why they received the mercy of God rather than those who did not humble themselves to think about the change of life they required.
My dear friends, what do we possess our own that we can boast of except sin? Everything that we have is a gift from God and a humble acknowledgment of the gifts will not make us small but raise us up in the sight of God. We take pride in things that we can never cling to always whether it's money, power, position, or anything. What we can cling to is the humble submission of ourselves to Him who gives us everything even without asking. We cannot always rely upon the power, wealth, position or other things but we can definitely count on the mercy of God always. To appropriate the mercy of God, we need humble heart to approach Him. May God help us to remain humble realising the mercy of God in our lives.
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