Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
“I am meek and humble of heart.” —Matthew 11:29
“Humility is the foundation of all virtues” —Saint Augustine.
“The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.” —Saint Vincent de Paul
Despite having the same Latin root of humilis, which means “lowly,” people often associate humility with a loss of dignity. They shame themselves into thinking that they are unworthy and even worthless. That’s not the true meaning of the word.
Jesus proclaims his heart “humble.” Does this equate with degradation? Few would see Jesus that way, but are quick to view themselves as such. But true humility isn’t about castigating oneself. Instead, it's about seeing ourselves as no better or worse than anyone else. Humility seeks to keep one grounded and free from arrogance and pride. (Just as humility is the root of all grace so is pride the root of all sin.) Spiritually, humility is accepting our own lowliness before the Almighty while still acknowledging ourselves as loved sons and daughters of God.
Author C.S. Lewis wrote, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.” But it also means acknowledging that “all is gift and all is grace” (St. Therese of Lisieux).
The biggest struggle for those who confuse “humility” with “humiliation” is the inability to love the self. Some seek to be the “lowliest” person on earth in order to be truly “humble.” Part of this is rooted in severe religiosity, promoting self shaming. The antidote to such degradation is holding fast to people in our lives who accept, love, and acknowledge us for who we are — warts and all. In the end, people who are able to forgive themselves (and others) stand the best chance of untangling themselves from the clutches of humiliation (which God does not desire from us) towards true humility (which God does desire for us).
—Timothy J. Cronin