The problem with humility

WE can never have enough of it. That’s the problem with humility. The moment we say we have it, be ready also to lose it and again and again to go through the process of recovering it. It’s a very slippery virtue that requires constant interior renewal and conversion.

If we only can reconcile ourselves completely with this reality and act accordingly, then much of the problem of the world will just vanish! But that’s a big if. Just the same, no matter how quixotic the pursuit of this virtue may be, we just have to try and try, helping one another to live it, because it is indispensable in our life.

Humility makes us see the truth. It wipes away fantasies, illusions and delusions. It is the foundation of many other virtues, the good ground on which the seed of virtues can grow. Without it, good intentions cannot prosper, and what may begin as a good deed would soon turn into an evil one, dripping with malice.

Humility makes us see who we really are, in our most radical self. That is to say, it makes us realize we are first of all creatures of God who created us in his image and likeness and who has adopted us with his grace as his children.

Its opposite vice of pride precisely makes us forget this fundamental truth, and leads us to think that we are our own God. This was precisely the seemingly irresistible temptation that led to the downfall of our first parents while in Paradise and that caused the original sin that we now all inherit.

Humility is of such great value that one saint said that one simple act of humility is worth much more than all the knowledge, both theoretical and practical, that we can amass in this world.

To develop and nourish this virtue, we need to realize that our heart and mind are in constant flux. Its stability is never static but rather very dynamic. It can turn one way or another in just an instant, and in fact it can go to extremes.

We need to realize that our control of these powers of ours, which need to be properly grounded and directed, is at best tenuous. And thus, we have to constantly be watchful and at the same time proactive in developing this virtue, never waiting for occasions to come before we do something about it.

Let’s remember that among the consequences of sin, both original and personal, is the pride of life. It’s just kind of automatic for us to be proud, so much so that another saint once said that pride is so ingrained in us that it would only disappear 24 hours after our death.

That could be the reason why Christ had to be born in such a humbling manner as to be born in a manger, and to live in a very austere manner in direct contrast to what he rightfully deserves as God.

In fact, he taught his disciples to be humble. “Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart,” he once said (Mt 11,29). And among the beatitudes, he highlighted the virtue of meekness and humility. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land.” (Mt 5,4)

Christ told the people to avoid going to the seats of honor when invited to a banquet, because he who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

And when throwing a party, he advised that we should rather invite the poor, blind and lame, and those who cannot repay the goodness, because we should be more interested in the reward we get in heaven than the one we can get here on earth.

He did not stop at nice words. He lived it by washing the feet of his apostles and commanding them to do the same to one another. Finally, he offered to give up his life on the cross for our sins. This is the ultimate of humility when it becomes entirely identified with Christ’s supreme act of love for us.

So, we just have to continually practice and develop humility by obeying, doing acts of service, being generous with our self-giving while passing unnoticed, always thinking of the others as better than us, as suggested by St. Paul (cfr Phil 2,3), always patient, merciful, taking the initiative to reconcile, etc.

If we can only do these things, I really believe that the world would be a much better place to live. What do you think?