Humble Human

Written by Lauren Zyber on Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

I’ve always considered writing to be my “thing.” It’s what I love and it’s what I’m good at. I’m a writing major, and in my last workshop, we discussed a piece in which I felt pretty confident.

And then my classmates began commenting.

It was just boring. It was clichéd. The characters and the plot were expected, nothing new.

It stung, hearing such harsh criticism about something I worked so hard on. They gave suggestions that I didn’t like, and I felt attacked, like they were trying to change the story I wanted to tell. It was devastating.

I began comparing my story to the other piece critiqued that day. Maybe her plot was better, but I had stronger character. I had more description. I had more grace and control.

I was the Pharisee in today’s Gospel.

This Gospel passage shows why we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others to make ourselves feel good about our lives. That’s never beneficial to our emotional, or spiritual health. And by attacking my classmate’s story, I didn’t improve my own story. It remained a boring, clichéd story.

Today’s Gospel calls for mercy and our need for God’s grace. Jesus teaches that it’s better to ask for God’s mercy than try to make yourself seem better than others. Everyone needs mercy. God is so merciful, as seen through Jesus Christ, so it is important to acknowledge our faults, our sins, and ask for mercy. And it’s important to have mercy on ourselves, so that we don’t fall into that temptation of comparing and attacking for our own sake.

I left the class feeling crushed, but it was a feeling I need to experience more often. Perhaps this was God’s way of saying, Hey, Lauren, love ya, but you’re not perfect. You’re only human. It’s hard when your ego gets checked, but it’s necessary. Because I am not the center of anything. I am just Lauren—a flawed human who sins and doesn’t always write the best short story. I’m just Lauren.

And that’s okay. In my eyes and, most importantly, in God’s. For “the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Questions for Reflection:
Do I compare myself to others to make myself feel better?
How can I live more humbly, especially during Lent, to prepare and open my heart to God’s grace and mercy as shown through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Lauren Zyber
Lauren is a parishioner at St. Mary Student Parish. She is a student at Saint Mary’s College where she studies English writing and literature.
Email: lzyber01@saintmarys.edu