Lent week 3: Be humble before ke Akua and each other

Mar. 5, 2021

Contributed by 'Alohi Bikle

Heluhelu Baibala
Bible reading

A ʻo ka luna ʻauhau hoʻi, kū mamao akula ia, ʻaʻole hoʻi i leha iki kona mau maka i ka lani; akā, papaʻi ihola ia ma kona umauma iho, ʻī akula, ‘E ke Akua, e aloha mai ʻoe iaʻu i ka mea i hewa!’ Ke haʻi aku nei au iā ʻoukou, ʻo ia ka mea i iho i kona hale me ka hoʻāpono ʻia, ʻaʻole kēlā; no ka mea, ʻo ka mea i hoʻokiʻekiʻe aʻe iā ia iho, ʻo ia ke hoʻohaʻahaʻa ʻia; a ʻo ka mea i hoʻohaʻahaʻa iā ia iho, ʻo ia ke hoʻokiʻekiʻe ʻia aʻe. – Luka 18:13-14

But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” – Luke 18:13-14


He manaʻo o ke Kahu
KS Kapālama Hope Kahu Barrett Awai KSK’88

“God, be merciful to me, the sinner.” This should be the foundation of our posture, kūʻē haʻahaʻa before ke Akua! More so, we should be kūlou (bowing) in repentance and humility before our God every day!

This position of reverence unto our Lord is a foundation of our faith as nā Kalikiano (Christians) and much expressed during Lent season. As Christ shared this parable He was clearly sharing that it is not what we say or do or boast about, but it is how we continue to be reminded of who Christ is and what He did for us in our place for our sin!

The tax collector Jesus referred to was not an honorable title or job to have in those times, especially compared to the prestigious Pharisees. The attitude and posture of the tax collector made him worthy to be exalted by God instead of being humbled by Him. |

May we truly reflect on our personal posture before God, which should also reflect our posture toward one another, with aloha! We must humble ourselves before ke Akua as a people, as a lāhui, and as a Kamehameha Schools ‘ohana so Iesū will be exalted in our reverence to Him!

He manaʻo o ka haumana
Kuao Peihopa KSK’21

This scripture reminds me that we shouldn’t ever think that we are good. Don’t ever have the mindset, “My ticket is punched in Heaven.” We need to acknowledge our shortcomings before the Lord in order to strive to be more like Him!





Kamehameha Schools Kapālama alumnus Kuao Peihopa KSK’21 (who graduated from KSK in December, 2020) is currently a defensive lineman for the University of Washington Huskies football team. In this week’s Lent devotional, he and KS Kapālama Hope Kahu Barrett Awai KSK’88 share their mana‘o on the importance of being humble before ke Akua and each other every day.