Cardinal Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo urged Catholics to embrace humility not as a matter of social manners but as a way of life that opens the path to God’s kingdom.
In his video message for the 22nd Sunday, the prelate reflected on the Gospel of Luke’s account of Jesus dining at the house of a Pharisee, where guests competed for seats of honor.
“When you are invited to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor,” Jesus said, according to the passage.
Cardinal Kikuchi explained that the lesson “would simply be a lesson in manners if it ended there.”
Instead, he stressed that the Gospel’s call to invite “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” makes clear that humility “is not about manners, but about choosing how to live one’s life as a person.”
“In other words, being invited into the kingdom of God is not a reward for having accomplished something, but a grace from God based on how one has chosen to live,” he said.
“It is only when one has chosen to live humbly that one receives the grace of God’s invitation to ‘Come, advance to a higher place.’ It is not what one has accomplished, but how one chooses to live that is important in God’s eyes,” he added.
The Tokyo archbishop emphasized that humility demands solidarity with those in need, urging the faithful to give of themselves, strengthen bonds of fraternity, and support neighbors in difficulty without seeking reward.
He cautioned that pride leads people to ignore the struggles of others, stressing that it deprives life of meaning when neighbors in difficulty are overlooked.
For Cardinal Kikuchi, humility begins with acknowledging God’s love, adding that it is “not a matter of manners in social relationships, but humility before God, acknowledging the fact that we are first loved by God.”
“When we do so, our eyes are opened to our neighbors, who are also loved, especially those who face difficulties. Our eyes are opened to lives facing crisis,” he added.
He appealed to nurture a society rooted in compassion, saying he aims to live fully as God intends and help shape a community marked by love.
