than a social strategy—it requires a fundamental reorientation of the heart. True humility is
not self-abasement or false modesty, but rather an accurate understanding of our position
before God and in relation to others.
In educational and pastoral contexts, choosing the last place means approaching young
people without the presumption that our age, experience, or position automatically grants
us authority or respect. It means being willing to learn from them, to be surprised by their
insights, and to recognise when we do not have answers. This humility creates space for an
authentic relationship to emerge.
When we choose the last place, we model for young people what it means to live without the
constant need for external validation so common today in the era of social networks. We
demonstrate that our identity and our worth do not depend on recognition or success, but
stem from our relationship with God, which brings forth healthy choices in favour of others.
This becomes particularly powerful for adolescents, who are often trapped in cycles of
performance anxiety and peer comparison.
The second teaching: practical charity
Jesus then moves from commenting on personal humility to proposing structural charity:
inviting “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” rather than those who can repay
represents a radical resetting of the relationship based on giving rather than exchange.
Too often, our energy and attention gravitate towards young people who are easier to deal
with, more responsive to our efforts, or who make us appear successful. We naturally invest
in relationships that provide positive feedback and visible results.
Jesus calls us to a completely different calculation. He challenges us to seek out those who
cannot enhance our reputation or advance our programmes—the struggling student, the
socially awkward teenager, the young person from a difficult background, the one whose
questions challenge our comfortable assumptions. These are the ones who most need our
investment and who can teach us most about the nature of unconditional love.
Humility and charity: two movements of the same heart
The genius of Jesus’ teaching lies in connecting these two movements—personal humility
and practical charity—as expressions of the same spiritual reality. Humility without charity
remains self-centred, potentially becoming a form of spiritual pride. Charity without
humility can become paternalistic or manipulative, serving our need to feel useful rather
than genuinely meeting the needs of others.
True humility opens us to see young people not as projects to fix or raw material for our
programmes, but as beloved children of God with intrinsic dignity and unique gifts. This
recognition naturally leads to charitable action—not charity as pity or condescension, but
charity as recognition of our fundamental interconnectedness and mutual need.
