39. It is most humiliating
to reflect upon this, that even though we be exempt from grave sins, yet,
through some secret disorder within us we may be as guilty as if we had
committed them. For if pride arises in our hearts and leads us to consider
ourselves better than those who have committed these sins we are
at once rendered guilty and worse than they in the eyes of God, because, as the
Holy Ghost says, "Pride is hateful before God."
[Ecclus. x, 7] St. Luke, in his Gospel, [Luke xviii, 11] records two different
kinds of vanity shown by the Pharisee, one when he praised
himself for the sins he did not commit, the other when he praised
himself for the virtues that he practiced: and he was equally
condemned for each of these vain utterances. He apparently referred all the
glory to God when he said: "O God, I give Thee thanks." But this was
only ostentatious self-esteem. It is only too easy for these thoughts of
vain-glory to insinuate themselves into our hearts: and who can assure me that
I am not guilty of many of them? "What I have done openly I see," I
can say with more truth than St. Gregory, " but what I have inwardly felt I
do not see." [Lib. 9, Mor., c. 17] O my God, my God, "let no iniquity
have dominion over me." [Ps. cxviii, 133] Do not let me be dominated by
pride, which is the sum of all wickedness; from my secret sins cleanse me.
Purify me from those sins of pride of which I am ignorant;
"then shall I be without spot." [Ps. xviii, 14] This thought, says
St. Thomas, causes every just man to consider himself worse than a great
sinner: "The just man who is truly humble thinks himself worse because he
fears lest in that which he seems to do well he should grievously sin by
pride." [in suppl. 3 part. qu. 6, art. 4]
Monday, July 22, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Own strength
38. God resists the proud,
because the proud oppose Him; but He dispenses His graces liberally to the humble,
because they live in subjection to His will. Oh, if we humbly made place for
the Divine gifts, how great would be the affluence of that grace in
our souls! One of the worst consequences of our lack of humility will be that
it will render the Day of Judgment so terrible to us; because on that day
we shall not only have to give account of the graces which we have received and
of which we have made a bad use, but also of those graces which God would have
given us if we had been humble, and which He withheld from us on account of
our pride.
It will be useless then to excuse ourselves by saying that we fell into such and such a sin from want of grace. "Grace was there," the Lord will answer; "but you ought to have asked for it with humility and not forfeited it by your pride." Pride is an obstacle harder than steel which hinders the beneficent infusion of grace into the soul. And it is the doctrine of St. Thomas that it is precisely by pride that our soul is placed in such a state ''as to be deprived of all inner spiritual good." [22, qu. cxxxii, art. 3] Do you desire grace in this world and glory in the next? Humble yourself, says St. James: "Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you." [Jas. iv, 10] God created out of nothing all that we can see in our world when "the earth was void and empty," [Gen. i, 2] and He filled with oil all the empty vases with which the widow presented Eliseus: "Empty vessels not a few." [4 Kings, iv, 3] And He also fills with His grace those hearts which are emptied of self-----that is to say, which have neither self-esteem nor self-confidence and do not rely upon their own strength.
It will be useless then to excuse ourselves by saying that we fell into such and such a sin from want of grace. "Grace was there," the Lord will answer; "but you ought to have asked for it with humility and not forfeited it by your pride." Pride is an obstacle harder than steel which hinders the beneficent infusion of grace into the soul. And it is the doctrine of St. Thomas that it is precisely by pride that our soul is placed in such a state ''as to be deprived of all inner spiritual good." [22, qu. cxxxii, art. 3] Do you desire grace in this world and glory in the next? Humble yourself, says St. James: "Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you." [Jas. iv, 10] God created out of nothing all that we can see in our world when "the earth was void and empty," [Gen. i, 2] and He filled with oil all the empty vases with which the widow presented Eliseus: "Empty vessels not a few." [4 Kings, iv, 3] And He also fills with His grace those hearts which are emptied of self-----that is to say, which have neither self-esteem nor self-confidence and do not rely upon their own strength.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Presume
37. As for those other
temptations there must certainly be presumption on our part when
we seek them of our own accord and place ourselves in dangerous
occasions of sin. He who is humble knows his own weakness; and, knowing it,
fears to place himself in danger; and because he fears it he flees from it. He
who is humble trusts implicitly in the help of Divine grace, on those
involuntary occasions he may encounter, but he never presumes upon the help of
Divine grace on those occasions which he has sought himself.
Let us be humble and humility will teach us to fear and avoid all dangerous occasions. In the lives of the Saints we read how careful they were to avoid familiar intercourse with women; and also in the lives of Saintly women how equally cautious they were to avoid familiarity with men. Why did they fear so much, since they already had so many penances and prayers with which to defend themselves against temptation? The reason is that they were humble and distrusted the weakness of human nature without presuming on grace; and thus their humility was the means by which they kept their purity unsullied.
You say: I can put myself in the way of temptation, but I am not afraid, because I will not sin. This is a temerity proceeding from pride, as St. Thomas says: "This is a real temerity and is caused by pride, [22 qu. liii, art 3, ad 2] and you would find yourself shamed by an unexpected fall. "And he that loveth danger shall perish in it." [Ecclus iii, 27] All that presume thus will undoubtedly fall, and their fall is the just punishment of their pride, as the prophet predicted: "This shall befall them for their pride." [Soph. ii, 10]
Let us be humble and humility will teach us to fear and avoid all dangerous occasions. In the lives of the Saints we read how careful they were to avoid familiar intercourse with women; and also in the lives of Saintly women how equally cautious they were to avoid familiarity with men. Why did they fear so much, since they already had so many penances and prayers with which to defend themselves against temptation? The reason is that they were humble and distrusted the weakness of human nature without presuming on grace; and thus their humility was the means by which they kept their purity unsullied.
You say: I can put myself in the way of temptation, but I am not afraid, because I will not sin. This is a temerity proceeding from pride, as St. Thomas says: "This is a real temerity and is caused by pride, [22 qu. liii, art 3, ad 2] and you would find yourself shamed by an unexpected fall. "And he that loveth danger shall perish in it." [Ecclus iii, 27] All that presume thus will undoubtedly fall, and their fall is the just punishment of their pride, as the prophet predicted: "This shall befall them for their pride." [Soph. ii, 10]
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Strength
36.
There are also two kinds of temptations: those that come
to us through the wickedness of the evil one and those which we
go in search of ourselves in our own weakness and malice, but there
is no better safeguard against either than humility. Humility causes the evil
one to flee because he cannot face the humble on account of his great pride,
and it causes every temptation to vanish suddenly because there can be no
temptation without a touch of pride.
Temptations arise against purity or against faith or any other virtue, but we can easily overcome them if we humble ourselves in our hearts and say: "Lord, I deserve these terrible temptations as a punishment for my pride, and if Thou comest not to my help, I shall surely fall. I feel my weakness, and that I can do no good of myself. Help me!" "Come unto my help, O God, O Lord, make haste to help me." [Ps. lxix, 2]
The more a soul humbles itself before God the more God comforts that soul with His grace, and inasmuch as God is with us, who shall prevail against us? "The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" [Ps. xxvi, 1] said King David; and St. Paul said: "If God be for us, who is against us?" [Rom. viii, 31]
The strongest subterfuge which the devil can employ in order to make us fall into temptation is to flatter our humility, thus preventing us from being humble, for if the evil one succeeds in persuading us that we have sufficient strength of ourselves to overcome temptation, we have already succumbed, as those succumbed of whom it was written that the Lord humbleth "them that presume of themselves and glory in their own strength." [Jude vi, 15]
Charity never grows cold nor fervor tepid except from lack of humility. Let us stand on our guard clad in the armor of humility, and that will be sufficient. God will help us in the measure in which we are humble, and with His help we shall be able to say: "I can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth me." [Phil. iv, 13]
Temptations arise against purity or against faith or any other virtue, but we can easily overcome them if we humble ourselves in our hearts and say: "Lord, I deserve these terrible temptations as a punishment for my pride, and if Thou comest not to my help, I shall surely fall. I feel my weakness, and that I can do no good of myself. Help me!" "Come unto my help, O God, O Lord, make haste to help me." [Ps. lxix, 2]
The more a soul humbles itself before God the more God comforts that soul with His grace, and inasmuch as God is with us, who shall prevail against us? "The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" [Ps. xxvi, 1] said King David; and St. Paul said: "If God be for us, who is against us?" [Rom. viii, 31]
The strongest subterfuge which the devil can employ in order to make us fall into temptation is to flatter our humility, thus preventing us from being humble, for if the evil one succeeds in persuading us that we have sufficient strength of ourselves to overcome temptation, we have already succumbed, as those succumbed of whom it was written that the Lord humbleth "them that presume of themselves and glory in their own strength." [Jude vi, 15]
Charity never grows cold nor fervor tepid except from lack of humility. Let us stand on our guard clad in the armor of humility, and that will be sufficient. God will help us in the measure in which we are humble, and with His help we shall be able to say: "I can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth me." [Phil. iv, 13]
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Vicissitudes
35. There are two kinds of humiliations:
those which we seek of our own free-will, and those which proceed
from the natural and temporal vicissitudes of this life. Against
the first we must be on our guard, notwithstanding the ardor with which we
embrace them, for the ever-lurking vanity of our self-love is so subtle
that it seeks even to enhance its own vain-glory while it
appears to seek the contempt of man. But if we accept the other humiliations
which come to us, irrespective of our will, mortifying our feelings, thoughts
and passions with prompt resignation to the will of God, it is a sign of a true
and sincere humility; because such humiliations tend to mortify
our self-love and to perfect the submission which we owe to God.
Voluntary and self-sought humiliations may cause the soul to become hypocritical. But involuntary humiliations sent to us by the Divine Will, and borne by us with patience, sanctify the soul; and for this reason the Holy Ghost has given us this most important mandate: "In thy humiliation keep patience. For gold and silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation." [Ecclus ii, 4, 5] It is impossible except in rare cases not to discover the hypocrisy of affected humility: "Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke." [Ps. cxliii, 5] And, again, it is impossible not to know the virtue of true humility, because its spirit is "gentle, kind, steadfast, assured, secure, having all power." [Wisd. vii, 23]
Voluntary and self-sought humiliations may cause the soul to become hypocritical. But involuntary humiliations sent to us by the Divine Will, and borne by us with patience, sanctify the soul; and for this reason the Holy Ghost has given us this most important mandate: "In thy humiliation keep patience. For gold and silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation." [Ecclus ii, 4, 5] It is impossible except in rare cases not to discover the hypocrisy of affected humility: "Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke." [Ps. cxliii, 5] And, again, it is impossible not to know the virtue of true humility, because its spirit is "gentle, kind, steadfast, assured, secure, having all power." [Wisd. vii, 23]
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Stormy Sea
34. The heart of the proud man is like a stormy sea, never at
rest: "Like the raging sea which cannot rest;" [Isa. lvii, 20] and
the heart of the humble is fully content in its humility-----"Rich in his
being low" [James i, 10]-----and is always calm and tranquil and without
fear that anything in this world should disturb him, and shall "rest with
confidence." [Isa. xiv, 30] And from whence proceeds this difference? The
humble man enjoys peace and quiet because he lives according to the rules of
truth and justice, submitting his own will in all things to the Divine will.
The proud man is always agitated and perturbed because of the opposition he is
continually offering to the Divine will in order to fulfill his own.
The more the heart is filled with
self-love, so much the greater will be its anxiety and agitation. This maxim is
indeed true; for whenever I feel myself inwardly irritated, disturbed and
angered by some adversity which has befallen me, I need not look elsewhere for
the cause of such feelings than within myself, and I should always do well to
say: If I were truly humble I should not be disquieted. My great agitation is
an evident proof which ought to convince me that my self-love is great and
dominant and powerful within me, and is the tyrant which torments and gives me
no peace.
If I feel aggrieved by some sharp word
that has been said to me, or by some discourtesy shown me, from whence does
this feeling of pain proceed? From my pride alone. Oh, if I were truly humble,
what calm, what peace and happiness would my soul not enjoy! And this promise
of Jesus Christ is infallible: "Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble
of heart, and you shall find rest to your souls." [Matt. xi, 29]
When we are distressed by some adversity,
it is unnecessary to seek consolation of those who flatter us or have pity on
us, and to whom we can pour out our troubles. It is sufficient to ask our soul:
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me?"
[Ps. xli, 12] My soul, what hast thou? and what seekest thou? Dost thou
perchance desire that rest which thou hast lost? Listen then to the remedy
offered to thee by thy Savior, exhorting thee to learn of Him to be humble, "Learn
of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart," and further listen to what
He adds when He assures thee that with thy lost humility thou shalt also
recover thy peace: "And you shall find rest to your souls."
Monday, July 1, 2013
Truth
33. Humility is not
a sickly virtue, timid and feeble as some imagine; on the contrary,
it is strong, magnanimous, generous and constant, because it is founded on truth
and justice. The truth consists in knowing What God is
and what
we are. Justice consists in our recognizing that God as our Creator
has a right to command us, and that we as His creatures are bound
to obey Him.
All the Martyrs were perfectly humble because they preferred to die suffering the most terrible torments rather than abandon truth and justice. How great their endurance and courage in resisting those who tried to force them to deny Jesus Christ!
To contradict others is an effect of pride whenever we contradict them in order to follow our own unjust and mistaken will; but when our opposition to the creature proceeds from a determination to fulfill the will of the Creator it is dictated by humility; for by this we confess our indispensable obligation to be subject and obedient to the Divine will.
It is for this reason that the proud man is always timid because his pride is only sustained by the weakness of human nature. And he who is humble is always brave in the exercise of his submission to the Divine Majesty because he receives his strength through grace.
The humble obey men, when in so doing they also obey God; but they refuse obedience to men, when by obeying them they would disobey their God. Reflect upon that answer, as modest as it was magnanimous, given before the elders of Jerusalem by St. Peter and St. John: "If it be just in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, judge ye." [Acts iv, 19]
The humble man is above all human respect, and there is no danger that he will become a slave to the opinions, fashions or customs of the world; he knows his failings and that he is capable of every evil even though he does not commit it. If he sees others doing wrong he compassionates them, but is never scandalized or induced to follow the bad examples of others; because all his intentions are directed towards God, and he has no other desire than that of pleasing God and of being directed by God alone. "He clings to God alone;" hence, as the angelic St. Thomas says so well: "No matter how much he sees others acting inordinately in word or deed, he himself will not depart from his uprightness of conduct." [22, qu. xxxiii, art. 5]
All the Martyrs were perfectly humble because they preferred to die suffering the most terrible torments rather than abandon truth and justice. How great their endurance and courage in resisting those who tried to force them to deny Jesus Christ!
To contradict others is an effect of pride whenever we contradict them in order to follow our own unjust and mistaken will; but when our opposition to the creature proceeds from a determination to fulfill the will of the Creator it is dictated by humility; for by this we confess our indispensable obligation to be subject and obedient to the Divine will.
It is for this reason that the proud man is always timid because his pride is only sustained by the weakness of human nature. And he who is humble is always brave in the exercise of his submission to the Divine Majesty because he receives his strength through grace.
The humble obey men, when in so doing they also obey God; but they refuse obedience to men, when by obeying them they would disobey their God. Reflect upon that answer, as modest as it was magnanimous, given before the elders of Jerusalem by St. Peter and St. John: "If it be just in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, judge ye." [Acts iv, 19]
The humble man is above all human respect, and there is no danger that he will become a slave to the opinions, fashions or customs of the world; he knows his failings and that he is capable of every evil even though he does not commit it. If he sees others doing wrong he compassionates them, but is never scandalized or induced to follow the bad examples of others; because all his intentions are directed towards God, and he has no other desire than that of pleasing God and of being directed by God alone. "He clings to God alone;" hence, as the angelic St. Thomas says so well: "No matter how much he sees others acting inordinately in word or deed, he himself will not depart from his uprightness of conduct." [22, qu. xxxiii, art. 5]
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