The mother of all virtue is Humility, which also becomes the foundation of our relationship with Christ. Humility allows us to be at peace with who are, that we are created by God and will never BE God, and that this living God has given us unique gifts perfectly in tune with our unique character. Humility gives us the inner security to treasure our unique gifts, while at the same time, treasuring the gifts of the other who has gifts we don’t have.
But here comes the RUB, and what a “rub” it is: we all have an individual ego, necessary for our identity, but one that tends to get “inflated”. When we sin, the ego grows in strength, causing us an INNER division that pits us against the other’s gifts, giving rise to jealousy, envy and the insatiable need to control and diminish the “other” because we are in competition with them.
The inflated and indulged ego is the cause of all our problems, personal and otherwise. Jesus warns us in today’s gospel to be aware of an ego that makes one arrogant and condescending toward others. Some of the leaders wanted their lives to be a “show”, so that they would be admired and followed. Hypocrisy, emerging from an inflated ego, destroys the beauty of religion and the beauty of the person. Its one purpose: to control, not only people, but God!!!
The greatest gift we can be given in this Lent is Humility. Rooted in humility, we WILL RISE with the Lord because we will be UNITED with the Lord… in His Humility.