Raise Your Voice

There’s an old adage: “Pride comes before the fall.” The Book of Proverbs, specifically the 16th chapter, is the source of that saying, although these days it is also mentioned in non-religious contexts, like sports or politics or even daily life. “Pride comes before the fall” means, in effect, that overconfidence and ego often prevent a person from seeing some coming failure or defeat. Pride blinds them to what they could have avoided.

If pride comes before the fall, then we might say the opposite is also true: humility comes before ascendance. Or, said another way, humility helps us to see with new eyes, not only the situation before us, but especially ourselves. And in so doing, humility opens the way to growth and transformation.

Today’s Gospel gives us a clear example of just how this works. Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem, where he has told the disciples he must go to suffer, die, and then rise again. And on the way, he meets ten people afflicted with leprosy. Lepers were the lowliest group of the ancient world; their disease not only prevented them from engaging in normal human society, but it was seen as a stigma and a sign of God’s disfavor. In this condition, it would have been no small thing for them to approach Jesus, the famous rabbi and miracle-worker. Yet, they see in him someone who can alleviate their plight. And so they have the humility to ask for help, crying out, though also standing at a distance out of respect and caution. And it’s only by having the humility to get Jesus’s attention that they are transformed by his power and healed of their leprosy.

I’d wager that none of us ever have been or ever will be afflicted with leprosy. If we were, modern medicine could help us. But while we may not have that terrible disease, we do have other needs – needs that we should recognize in honesty and humility. Maybe we have another physical illness or malady that burdens us. Maybe we are plagued by spiritual afflictions, like addiction, mental health issues, or emotional trauma. Maybe we have suffered damaged relationships, or spiritual doubts or dryness, or fatigue in our vocational duties or in the responsibilities of daily life. Whatever it is, surely all of us can think of some malady that plagues us, that we wish to be rid of, that we know we can’t fix ourselves.

Christ and the Lepers (c. 1920) by Gebhard Fugel

Jesus can help us, just like he helped the lepers in today’s Gospel. But first we must recognize our need for his aid. Like them, we must raise our voice to him – not to catch his attention, since he is already always focused upon us, but to humble ourselves, to recognize in humility that he can provide what we cannot. It’s that kind of trust in the Lord that is pleasing to him, that not only helps us to move toward the transformation that we desire, but that also deepens our relationship with him. Spiritual growth isn’t about mastering certain abilities or acquiring certain attributes on our own; rather, it comes from learning to rely ever more deeply on the Lord, he who loves us and who wants to give us the good things we need, if only we open ourselves to him.

Of course, humbly asking the Lord for what we need is just the first step. We must be prepared for the fact that he may not grant what we need right away. Sometimes he asks us to wait a bit, to deepen our trust in him even more and to expand our capacity to receive. Sometimes he asks us to suffer a little – to walk with him on the path to Jerusalem – for our good and the good of all the world. Sometimes the true gift is not the answer to our prayers, but the spirit of thanksgiving that the Lord also gives us; like the leper who returns in gratitude, we are truly healed and transformed only when we praise the One who has helped us.

But it’s important not to get too far ahead of ourselves. Today’s Gospel reminds us that the most significant step is the first one: recognizing our need in humility and asking the Lord for his help. Brothers and sisters, in all of the individual ways that perhaps we have reflected upon, and for all the needs we have collectively – the needs of this parish, the needs of our Church, the needs of our society, the needs of all the world – let us raise our voices and lift up our hearts anew to the Lord. Let us humbly call upon him, and say with great faith, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And may our faith in him be our salvation.