The virtue of humility

It also helps us to recognize that we are not self-made: we rely on others and above all on God

WORD OF FAITH: A breakdown of each week's upcoming Sunday readings to better understand the Word of God at Mass.

Many observers of nature and especially of human nature, note how there is almost always an order and a hierarchy of things, whether this is the food chain or how an organization works. We often speak about a “natural order.” Thinking about this further, people also like to be recognized and acknowledged, and concerns about one’s status or standing in a community can be very important indeed. A loss of status, or the experience of being ignored or snubbed, can be very difficult to bear.

In the Gospel for this weekend (Matthew 23:1-12), St. John Chrysostom notes that Jesus charges the religious leaders with being harsh and neglectful, but then he goes on to challenge those who seek status or those who have the expectation that they should be constantly acknowledged as important people. So, why is our Lord so critical of what might, at first glance, seem to be something natural: part of that natural order? Perhaps it is because this approach to life can so easily lead to an inflated sense of self-importance and to the sort of ambition that tramples down others to feed that ambition. As a friend of mine likes to say: “the ego has landed!” Worse still, all this focus on status and importance can lead to a superego and a lack of awareness or sensitivity to others. In extreme cases, people can see themselves as exceptions to every social convention, or even as above the law. Finally, they end up even forgetting God, or thinking that they are God.

Instead, our Lord teaches us about a virtue that can be the antidote to this. It is not perhaps a very popular virtue in our present culture and yet it is essential for human and spiritual growth. It is, of course, the virtue of humility. However, we need to be clear about what this virtue really is. It is not a weak or simpering attitude or of having a very low self-esteem. Nor is it going around saying how terrible we are. Ironically, this can be a sort of pride; for when we pull ourselves down, then we can really be waiting for others to say how great we are!

So, what is this virtue of humility? If we look at the root of the word, we can easily grasp something of what humility might be. Our English word “humility” comes from the Latin word humus which means “of the earth” or “earthed.” Humility, then, means being earthed: that is being grounded or realistic and honest about who we are. It means having a deep knowledge and understanding of both our gifts and our strengths, but also of our faults and failings. Humility also helps us to recognize that we are not self-made: we rely on others and above all on God. Only once we are grounded like this can we truly love and we find that two great things come about.

First, we can use our gifts and talents happily in service of others. We are no longer looking over our shoulders to see who might be competing with us, or whether doing something will gain us more points and increase our status. Instead, it helps us to be generous to others and also thoughtful of others. We are still ambitious in a way, but this ambition is for using well the gifts that God has given to us. We understand that they are not our gifts in service of our ego, but rather that God has given us these gifts to be used in his service. As St. Paul puts it in our Second Reading, “to share … our very selves with you.”

Secondly, it also means that we can make spiritual progress. With God’s help, we can build up our strengths but also work on our weaknesses. Humility teaches us that we are not perfect and that we need to develop ways to overcome faults and failings. We also recognize that we rely totally on God’s help to do all this. Sometimes too, we may feel that we have so many faults and failings, or that we make the same mistakes again and again. True humility will stop us from being discouraged or giving up. Instead, it helps us to seek out God’s help and to know that God loves us and is with us.

A great way to grow in humility is to take a minute or two at the end of each day and to make an examination of conscience (there are even apps for this, such as “examen.”) We can simply review the day and look at how we have used our gifts well and where we have fallen down (and then resolve to do better the next day.) The examination always includes asking for God’s help in this project. Furthermore, we have what we might call the sacrament of humility: reconciliation or confession. It is a wonderful way to heal our faults and failings that, in all humility, we can see, and then be filled with God’s love and strength to try again to grow in goodness and in love. For, as Jesus tells us at the end of the Gospel, “whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”