Countless books and articles have been written about that lovable virtue, humility. Lovable? Today's first reading assures us that if we conduct our human affairs with humility we will be loved and that we will win God's favour too. Philippians 2:1-11 will help us to understand the aspects of humility that are presented to us in the first reading and, especially in the Gospel today. This passage tells us that Jesus emptied himself and became a slave for us.

In the New Jerome Biblical Commentary the writer on Philippians gives us some very helpful suggestions on humility in action when dealing with this passage. After telling us that in the Old Testament humility "is no more and no less than the appropriate human stance before God" he continues. "In Christianity the free adopting of a lowly, unassertive stance before fellow human beings becomes a distinctive virtue after the pattern established by Christ." There would be no undignified scrambling for places of honour at dinners if Jesus' attitude was more widely accepted.

The commentator goes on to write, "For Paul, Christian love flows from the free disposition to unseat concern for self as the driving force of life and replace it with a practical concern for others." This is continually stressed by Luke in his Gospel as Jesus' concern for the poor and disadvantaged.