Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had a desire to help and to serve in the Church. It is something that my brothers and I were taught by my mother Cuca. She would remind us that no matter what we were, to always be respectful and kind to others. The many years I served at Holy Mass as an altar boy, I often felt that I wasn’t worthy, even to this day.

When vesting for Holy Mass, we were taught prayers. Even today as deacon, I am mindful of the commitment of the call to serve when placing the stole over my shoulders, symbolic of the towel that Jesus tied around his waist during the washing of the feet at the Last Supper.

I don’t remember the exact prayer from my days as a server, but it was similar to the prayer of St. Ambrose before Mass: “Lord Jesus Christ, we approach your banquet table as saints and sinners, and dare not rely on our own worth, but only on your goodness and mercy. Gracious God of majesty and awe, we seek your protection, we look for your healing. We appeal to you, the Fountain of all mercy.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal King, crucified for us, look upon us with mercy and hear our prayer, for we trust in you. Merciful Father, purify us in body and soul, and make us worthy to taste the Holy of Holies. May your Body and Blood, which we intend to receive, unworthy as we are, be for us the remission of our sins, the washing away of our guilt, the end of our evil thoughts, and the rebirth of our better instincts. May it incite us to do the works pleasing to you and profitable to our health in body and soul, and may it deliver us from evil. Amen.”

Feeling unworthy is what perhaps many in ministry and service struggle with; we approach the banquet of heaven and earth as sinners and saints trusting in God’s mercy. For in the end, we are all beggars in need of God’s mercy.

Ministry means that we are called to serve with humility as we answer God’s call in faith. True ministry is about whom we are serving and never about us; therefore, the focus should never be on us (especially in liturgy). Ministry is not self-seeking and always involves collaborating with others. Serving with humility means imitating the Lord Jesus who came humbly to serve and not to be served.

After all: Who is more helpless than a newborn child? Who died nailed, naked and humiliated on the Cross? The Lord Jesus did not hesitate to share in our humanity; his birth was the first manifestation of his humility, a self-emptying which he freely and totally embraced for our sake (salvation), and for the forgiveness of our sins.

St. Paul reminds the Philippians and us, “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (2:5-7).

Sir James Young Simpson (Scottish obstetrician) was once asked during a lecture at the University of Edinburgh what he considered to be the most valuable discovery of his lifetime. To the surprise of his students, he replied, “My most valuable discovery was when I discovered myself a sinner and that Jesus Christ was my Savior.” Everyone had expected for him to answer otherwise, since Dr. Simpson had discovered in 1853 that when chloroform was used during surgery, patients would feel no pain.

St. Catherine of Siena (Doctor of the Church) is known for saying that “God is He who IS; I am she who is not.” In her own words, she admitted that she owed her very existence to God’s good will. Humility is the virtue that keeps us honest about ourselves, who we are, and who God is, because humility requires an awful lot of honest self-awareness (true self-knowledge).

The Blessed Virgin Mary is our prime example for Christians seeking humility. She submitted with a humble heart. “May it be done unto me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38). Her fiat (“Let it be done”) was a total acceptance and consent to the will of God in her life. Her faith in saying yes should inspire us to completely abandon ourselves to the will of God in total humility.

Regardless of the title we may have, the authority, the position in life or in ministry, when we don’t respect others, when we seek recognition, power, the praise of others and even a following on social media, we may give the impression that our humility is false.

The lives of the saints remind us of the daily struggle; that pride is the downfall of human beings (as fallen creatures) and that humility is perhaps a difficult virtue to embrace and at times impossible to achieve. Despite their sinful limitations, the saints strived for holiness and discovered that humility indeed requires us to turn to and rely on God instead of other things and to trust in him alone. We are called to do the same.