This is the second week of the five weeks that come before the Great Fast. Each week shares another real aspect of Metanoia. This week the aspect that is highlighted through the parable is HUMILITY.

Humility is a quality by which a person, considering his own defects, has a lowly opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God’s sake. While this is not the best definition, humility also involves having a realistic opinion of oneself – trying to see oneself as God sees you. This means that we don’t deny our talents or deficits. It also means that we do not attempt to aggrandize ourselves by lessening the abilities of others. It means acknowledging the abilities of others without any reference to ourselves. It means not needing to be the center of all conversations. It means thinking of others first.