I tend not to get colds very often. Over the past few years, whenever I have gotten a cold, it usually has been quick and fairly mild. I am thankful that my immune system has been good to me on this front, and I have thanked the Lord for the health I have experienced. And, of course, being a sinful man, I’ve been a little prideful when it comes to this good health. And, of course, also being a sinful man, I’ve done some boasting.
And then, right around Christmas, I caught COVID-19. Talk about prideful and boastful, I had gone through nearly four years of avoiding the infection, and I let everyone know it. “I guess I’m immune, heh heh heh.” Yeah, right. Pride truly does go before the fall. It may not have put me in the hospital, but it smacked me in the face with a firm, “take that, sinful man.”
Now, I’m not saying that because I’m a sinner I caught the coronavirus. What I am saying, however, ties in with today’s Gospel. I’m out here more or less debating how great I am in the respiratory disease department, when our Lord is calling me to be humble — in all things. This is a mere example of how easy it is to slip into self-righteousness about anything, even knowing full well that whatever I have, good health or challenges, bounty or need, I should be relying on the Lord and not exalting myself in any way.
As James tells his readers, our job is to humble ourselves, put ourselves in the right place by depending on a God who loves us and wants to care for us. He will do the exalting, each of us in our rightful place. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” I know I certainly need as much of that grace as God is willing to bestow. I am nothing without it.
And a good reminder of staying humble is Paul’s quote to the Galatians, as we see in the Alleluia verse for the day: “May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus Christ, true God and true man, humbled himself to become one of us to suffer and die for us and save us from our sins. That, my friends, is something — the only thing, really — worth boasting about.
No suelo resfriarme muy a menudo. En los últimos años, siempre que me he resfriado, por lo general ha sido breve y bastante leve. Estoy agradecido de que mi sistema inmune se haya portado bien conmigo y le he dado gracias al Señor por la salud que he experimentado. Y, por supuesto, siendo un hombre pecador, me he sentido un poco orgulloso al respecto. Y, por supuesto, también siendo un hombre pecador, me he presumido un poco.
Y luego, justo alrededor de Navidad, contraí el COVID-19. Hablando de ser orgulloso y jactancioso, había pasado casi cuatro años evitando la infección y se lo hice saber a todos. “Supongo que soy inmune, je, je, je”. Sí claro. El orgullo realmente va antes de la caída. Puede que no me haya llevado al hospital, pero me golpeó en la cara con un firme: “toma eso, hombre pecador”.
Ahora bien, no digo que porque soy un pecador contraje el coronavirus. Lo que estoy diciendo, sin embargo, se relaciona con el Evangelio de hoy. Estoy aquí debatiendo más o menos lo bueno que soy en el departamento de enfermedades respiratorias, cuando nuestro Señor me llama a ser humilde en todo. Este es un mero ejemplo de lo fácil que es caer en la superioridad moral sobre cualquier cosa, incluso sabiendo muy bien que cualquier cosa que tenga, buena salud o desafíos, generosidad o necesidad, debo confiar en el Señor y no exaltarme de ninguna forma.
Como Santiago les dice a sus lectores, nuestro trabajo es humillarnos, ponernos en el lugar correcto dependiendo de un Dios que nos ama y quiere cuidarnos. Él hará la exaltación, cada uno de nosotros en el lugar que le corresponde. “Dios aborrece a los soberbios y concede su gracia a los humildes.” Sé que ciertamente necesito tanta gracia como Dios esté dispuesto a otorgarme. No soy nada sin eso.
Y un buen recordatorio de permanecer humildes es la cita de Pablo a los Gálatas, como vemos en la aclamación antes del evangelio hoy día: “No permita Dios que yo me gloríe en algo que no sea la cruz de nuestro Señor Jesucristo”. Jesucristo, verdadero Dios y verdadero hombre, se humilló para convertirse en uno de nosotros para sufrir y morir por nosotros y salvarnos de nuestros pecados. Eso, amigos míos, es algo (en realidad lo único) de lo que vale la pena presumir.
Mike Karpus is a regular guy. He grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, graduated from Michigan State University and works as an editor. He is married to a Catholic school principal, raised two daughters who became Catholic school teachers at points in their careers, and now relishes his two grandchildren, including the older one who is fascinated with learning about his faith. He also has served on a Catholic school board, a pastoral council and a parish stewardship committee. He currently is a lector at Mass, a Knight of Columbus, Adult Faith Formation Committee member and a board member of the local Habitat for Humanity organization. But mostly he’s a regular guy.
Feature Image Credit: Vytautas Markūnas SDB, cathopic.com/photo/13768-priestly-ordination
Kate Taliaferro is an Air Force wife and mother. She is blessed to be able to homeschool, bake bread and fold endless piles of laundry. When not planning a school day, writing a blog post or cooking pasta, Kate can be found curled up with a book or working with some kind of fiber craft. Kate blogs at