We shall be speaking about humility

We shall be speaking about humility, for this is the virtue which helps us to recognise, at one and the same time, both our wretchedness and our greatness” (Friends of God, 94).

July 7

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“In his preaching, Our Lord Jesus Christ very often sets before our eyes the example of his own humility. 'Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart,' so that you and I may know that there is no other way, and that only our sincere recognition of our nothingness is powerful enough to draw divine grace towards us. St Augustine says: 'It was for us that Jesus came to suffer hunger and to be our food, to suffer thirst and to be our drink, to be clothed with our mortality and to clothe us with immortality, to be poor so as to make us rich.'”

Friends of God, 97

“Prayer is the humility of the man who acknowledges his profound wretchedness and the greatness of God. He addresses and adores God as one who expects everything from Him and nothing from himself.

”Faith is the humility of the mind which renounces its own judgment and surrenders to the verdict and authority of the Church.

”Obedience is the humility of the will which subjects itself to the will of another, for God's sake.

”Chastity is the humility of the flesh, which subjects itself to the spirit.

”Exterior mortification is the humility of the senses.

”Penance is the humility of all the passions, immolated to the Lord.

”Humility is truth on the road of the ascetic struggle.”

Furrow, 259

“'God resists the proud, but gives his grace to the humble,' the apostle St Peter teaches. In any age, in any human setting, there is no other way, to live a godly life, than that of humility. Does this mean that God takes pleasure in our humiliation? Not at all. What would he, who created all things and governs them and maintains them in existence, gain from our prostration? God only wants us to be humble and to empty ourselves, so that he can fill us. He wants us not to put obstacles in his way so that — humanly speaking — there will be more room for his grace in our poor hearts. For the God who inspires us to be humble is the same God who 'will refashion the body of our lowliness, conforming it to the body of his glory, by exerting the power by which he is able also to subject all things to himself'. Our Lord makes us his own, he makes us divine with a 'true godliness.'”

Friends of God, 98

“'The greater you are, the more in all things abase yourself, and you shall find favour with God.' If we are humble, God will never abandon us. He humbles the arrogance of the proud, but he saves the humble. He frees the innocent man, who is rescued because his hands are clean. The infinite mercy of Our Lord is not slow in coming to the aid of those who humbly call upon him. And then he acts as he truly is, as God Almighty. Although there may be many dangers, though the soul may feel harassed and find itself surrounded on all sides by the enemies of its salvation, it will not perish. This is not merely something that was true in days gone by. It continues to happen now.”

Friends of God, 104

“Let me remind you that if you are sincere, if you show yourselves as you really are, if you acquire that 'true godliness' by being humble and not proud, then you and I will be safe in any environment. We will always be able to talk of battles won and call ourselves the victors. Ours will be the intimate victories of God's love, which bring peace, understanding and happiness to the soul.”

Friends of God, 106

“Do you want to be daring in a holy way, so that God may act through you? Have recourse to Mary, and she will accompany you along the path of humility, so that, when faced by what to the human mind is impossible, you may be able to answer with a fiat! — be it done!, which unites the earth to Heaven.”

Furrow, 124

"Our wretchedness and our greatness"

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a true humbling of the heart

Fasting in Isaiah 58, then, is intended to be more than ritual. It is to be a true humbling of the heart that results not only in humility, but in actual identification with those who are lowly—the hungry and oppressed. This theme will later be appropriated by Christians who call for true forms of fasting as opposed to fasting for mere rituals.

Berghuis, Kent. Christian Fasting: A Theological Approach (pp. 24-25). Biblical Studies Press. Kindle Edition. 

His grace is sufficient

The danger of pride is greater and nearer than we think, and especially at the time of our highest spiritual experiences. The preacher of spiritual truth with an admiring congregation, the gifted speaker on a Holiness platform, the Christian giving testimony of a blessed experience, and the evangelist moving on in victory – no man knows the hidden danger to which these are exposed. Paul was in danger without knowing it. What Jesus did for him is written for our caution, that we may know our danger and know our only safety. If ever it has been said of a teacher or professor of holiness that he is so full of self, or he does not practice what he preaches, let it be said no more. Jesus, in whom we trust, can make us humble. 

Yes, the grace for humility is greater and nearer than we think. The humility of Jesus is our salvation. Jesus Himself is our humility. Our humility is His care and His work. His grace is sufficient for us to meet the temptation of pride too. His strength will be perfected in our weakness. Let us choose to be weak, to be low, to be nothing. Let humility be to us joy and gladness. Let us glory and take pleasure in weakness, in all that can humble us and keep us low. The power of Christ will rest on us. Christ humbled Himself, and as a result, God exalted Him. Christ will humble us and keep us humble. Let us heartily consent and, with trust and joy, accept all that humbles, and as a result, the power of Christ will rest on us. We will find that the deepest humility is the secret of the truest happiness, and of a joy that nothing can destroy.

Murray, Andrew. Humility [Updated Edition]: The Beauty of Holiness . Aneko Press. Kindle Edition. 

The Spirit of Prayer by William Law

All this to make it known through the region of eternity that pride can degrade the highest angels into devils, and humility raise fallen flesh and blood to the thrones of angels. Thus, this is the great end of God raising a new creation out of a fallen kingdom of angels. For this end, it stands in its state of war between the fire and pride of fallen angels, and the humility of the Lamb of God. That the last trumpet may sound the great truth through the depths of eternity, that evil can have no beginning but from pride, and no end but from humility. The truth is this: Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you. Under the banner of the truth, give yourself up to the meek and humble spirit of the holy Jesus. Humility must sow the seed, or there can be no reaping in heaven. Don’t look at pride only as an unbecoming temper, nor at humility only as a decent virtue. The one is death, and the other is life. One is all hell, and the other is all heaven. As much as you have pride within you, you have the fallen angel alive in you. As much as you have true humility, you have of the Lamb of God within you. If you could see what every stirring of pride does to your soul, you would beg of everything you touch to tear the viper from you, even if it required the loss of a hand, or an eye. If you could see what a sweet, divine, transforming power there is in humility, how it expels the poison of your nature, and makes room for the Spirit of God to live in you, you would rather wish to be the footstool of all the world than lack the smallest degree of it. The Spirit of Prayer by William Law, Part II, p. 73, Edition of Moreton, Canterbury, 1893.

Murray, Andrew. Humility [Updated Edition]: The Beauty of Holiness . Aneko Press. Kindle Edition. 

The Humility of Mary

It’s a part of humility to serve others. Consider how Mary didn’t hesitate to go and serve Elizabeth for three months. For this reason, St. Bernard says: “Elizabeth wondered that Mary should have come to visit her. But still more admirable is that she came not to be ministered to, but to minister.” 

Those who are humble are retiring, and choose the last places. St. Bernard remarks that this is why Mary, when wishing to speak to her Son when he was preaching in a house, would not of her own accord enter. Instead, she “remained outside, and did not avail herself of her maternal authority to interrupt him” (see Mt 12:46). 

For the same reason, when she was with the Apostles awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit, she took the lowest place, as St. Luke notes: “All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14). It’s not that St. Luke was ignorant of the Mother of God’s merits, on account of which he should have named her in the first place. Rather, she had taken the last place among the Apostles and the women. For this reason, he described them all in the order in which they were. That’s why St. Bernard says, “Rightly has the last become the first, who being the first of all became the last.” 

Finally, those who are humble love to be disdained rather than praised. So we don’t read that Mary showed herself in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, when her Son was received by the people with so much honor. Instead, at the death of her Son, she didn’t shrink from appearing on Calvary. She didn’t fear the dishonor that would come to her when it was known that she was the mother of the One who was condemned to die an infamous death as a criminal. —St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary 

From a prayer of St. John Neumann: O Mary, Mother of Mercy, pray to your divine Son for me, a poor sinner; beg him to make me humble. My pride, my self-esteem, my vanity are always against me. I struggle against them, and yet I allow them to surprise and deceive me so often.

Thigpen, Paul. A Year with Mary: Daily Meditations on the Mother of God (pp. 473-474). Saint Benedict Press. Kindle Edition. 

Humility