Reflect today on how free you are from the misleading and false opinions of others

“When invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not lie down at the table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you might have been invited by him, and the guest who invited both of you might come up to you and say, 'Give this man your seat', and then you would embarrassedly proceed to take the lowest seat ". Luke 14: 8-9

In telling this parable to those who dine with him in the Pharisee's house, Jesus strikes a rope in their hearts. It is clear that his audience was filled with those who sought the esteem of others and were very concerned about their social reputation. It would have been a scary thought for them to take pride of place at a banquet only to be embarrassed by the host when asked to move to a lower spot. This humiliation was clear to those involved in the world of social prestige.

Jesus uses this embarrassing example to emphasize their pride and the danger of living so proud. He goes on to say: "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

We can never examine our conscience often enough about pride. Pride is referred to as the "Mother of all sins" for a reason. Pride leads to all other sin and, in many ways, is the source of all sins. Therefore, if we want to strive for perfection in life, we should seek true humility every day.

Humility is nothing more than seeing things as they are. A humble person sees himself in God's truth. This can be difficult because it requires that we consider ourselves weak and dependent on God. We may be able to accomplish many worldly things with our strength and hard work. But we cannot obtain happiness and goodness if we do not open ourselves to the truth of our weaknesses and depend on God for all things.

Humility also helps cleanse our hearts of something that is very difficult to let go. Pride drives us to deeply seek the esteem of others and to depend on that esteem for our happiness. This is a dangerous road to take because it leaves us constantly dependent on the opinions of others. And too often the opinions of others are based on false and superficial criteria.

Reflect today on how free you are from the misleading and false opinions of others. Of course, you need to regularly seek advice from those you know and love. But you must allow yourself only to depend on God and His Truth. When you do, you will be on your way to true humility.

Lord, please humble me. Remove all pride from my life so that I can turn to You and Your will alone. Help me to worry only about the Truth you establish and to use it as the only measure of my soul. Jesus I believe in you.