Caput X. De humilitate
The Ladder of Humility
The greatness of humility is shown through Christ's own words and the testimony of Scripture, which promise exaltation to the lowly and resistance to the proud.
It is easy to see how great the virtue of true humility is from the Lord's words, who, to condemn the pride of the Pharisees, said: "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted" (Matt.✦ 23:12). The heights of heaven are climbed by the steps of humility, because the high God is reached not by pride, but by humility. Concerning this it has been said: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James✦ 4:6). Whence it is also said in the Psalms: "The Lord is high, and he regards the lowly, and the high he knows from afar" (Ps.✦ 138:6). He has set high things for the proud, but lowly things for the humble.
Learning from Christ's Humility
Humility draws us near to God, as shown by the fall of the proud angel, the exaltation of human nature through Christ's humility, and the wisdom that accompanies a lowly heart.
He looks at what is lowly, so as to lift it up; he recognizes what is lofty—that is, what is proud—so as to cast it down. So let us learn humility, through which we will be able to draw near to God, just as he himself says in the Gospel: Learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matt.✦ 11:29). Through pride the wondrous creature of angels fell from heaven; through the humility of God, the frailty of human nature rose up to heaven. The practice of humility carries real weight among people, just as Solomon says: Where there is pride, there will also be insult.✦1 But where there is humility, there is also wisdom (Prov.✦ 11:2). Likewise another wise writer says: The greater you are, humble yourself in everything, and before God you will find grace (Sir.2
The Humble Heart Receives Grace
God looks upon the humble and tranquil, and only the humble can receive the Holy Spirit's grace, for God Himself became humble to shame the proud.
III, 20). Likewise the Lord says through the prophet: But on whom will I look, if not on the humble and tranquil person who trembles at my words (Isa.✦ 66, 2)? Whoever is not humble and tranquil cannot have the grace of the Holy Spirit dwell in them. God became humble as the cause of our salvation, so that a proud person might be ashamed. The more the heart bends down to lowly things through humility, the more it advances on high. For whoever is humble will be exalted in glory.✦ The first step of humility is to hear the word of truth humbly, to retain it in memory, and to carry it out willingly.
The Danger of Pride in Good Works
Truth flees from an ungrateful mind, and those who do good works without humility labor in vain, for God alone is the true judge of our worth.
For truth flees from the mind it does not find humble. The more humble someone is in their own eyes, the greater they will be in the sight of God. But the proud — the more glorious they appear among people, the more cast down they will be before God. Whoever does good works without humility carries dust into the wind. Why does earth and ash take pride, when it is scattered by the wind of pride — even though it seems to be gathered by fasting and alms?✦ Do not glory in your virtues, O man, because you will have another as your judge, not yourself; in whose sight you must humble yourself in your heart, so that he may exalt you in the time of your retribution.✦ Go down so you may go up; humble yourself so you may be exalted, lest, once exalted, you be humbled.✦✦ Whoever counts themselves worthless is great before God, and whoever displeases themselves pleases God.
Small in Your Own Eyes
To be great in God's sight, one must become small in one's own eyes, for the deepest humility accompanies the highest honor.
So then, be small in your own eyes, so that you may be great in the eyes of the Lord. For the more precious you will be to God, the more despised you have been in your own eyes. In the highest honor, let the deepest humility be yours. The praise of honor is the virtue of humility.
Read the original Latin
Quanta sit verae humilitatis virtus, facile ex verbis Domini cognoscitur, qui ut superbiam Pharisaeorum damnaret, dixit: Omnis qui se exaltat, humiliabitur, et qui se humiliat, exaltabitur (Matth. XXIII, 12). Humilitatis passibus ad coeli culmina conscenditur; quia Deus excelsus non superbia, sed humilitate attingitur. De quo dictum est: Deus superbis resistit, humilibus autem dat gratiam (Jac. IV, 6). Unde et in psalmis dicitur: Excelsus Dominus et humilia respicit, et alta a longe cognoscit (Psal. CXXXVII, 6). Alta posuit pro superbis, humilia vero pro humilibus.
Humilia respicit, ut attolat: alta, id est, superba cognoscit, ut dejiciat. Discamus igitur humilitatem, per quam Deo propinquare poterimus, sicut ipse in Evangelio ait: Discite a me quia mitis sum et humilis corde, et invenietis requiem animabus vestris (Matth. XI, 29). Per superbiam mirabilis angelorum creatura cecidit de coelo: per humilitatem Dei fragilitas humanae naturae ascendit ad coelum. Honesta est enim inter homines humilitatis consuetudo, sicut Salomon ait: Ubi fuerit superbia, ibi erit et contumelia. Ubi autem humilitas, ibi et sapientia (Prov. XI, 2). Item alius quidam Sapiens: Quanto major es, humilia te in omnibus, et coram Deo invenies gratiam (Eccli.
III, 20). Item Dominus dicit per prophetam: Ad quem autem respiciam nisi ad humilem, et quietum, et trementem verba mea (Isai. LXVI, 2)? Quicunque humilis et quietus non erit, non potest in eo habitare gratia Spiritus sancti. Deus humilis factus est nostrae salutis causa, ut erubescat homo superbus esse. Quantum humilitate inclinatur cor ad ima, tantum proficit in excelso. Qui enim humilis erit, exaltabitur in gloria. Primus humilitatis gradus est veritatis sermonem humiliter audire, memoriter retinere, voluntarie perficere.
Eam quippe, quam non invenit humilem veritas fugit mentem. Quantum quis humilior erit de seipso, tanto major erit in conspectu Dei. Superbus vero quanto gloriosior apparet inter homines, tanto dejectior erit ante Deum. Qui enim sine humilitate bona opera agit, in ventum pulverem portat. Quid superbit terra et cinis, dum vento superbiae dispergitur, quod jejuniis et eleemosynis congregare videtur? Noli, o homo, in virtutibus tuis gloriari; quia alterum habiturus es judicem, non teipsum; in cujus conspectu teipsum in corde tuo humiliare oportet, quatenus ille te exaltet in tempore retributionis tuae. Descende ut ascendas, humiliare ut exalteris, ne exaltatus humilieris. Qui enim sibi vilis est, ante Deum magnus est; et qui sibi displicet, Deo placet.
Esto igitur parvus in oculis tuis, ut sis magnus in oculis Domini. Tanto enim eris apud Deum pretiosior, quanto fueris ante oculos tuos despectior. In summo honore summa tibi sit humilitas. Honoris laus est, humilitatis virtus.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Luke.18.14;Matt.23.12 — I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than that one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Matt.23.12 — Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
- ↩Jas.4.6;1Pet.5.5;Prov.3.34 — But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' 1Pet.5.5 — Likewise, younger people, submit to the elders. And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Prov.3.34 — If it is the scoffer, he mocks them, but to the humble he gives grace.
- ↩Ps.138.6 — For though the LORD is high, He sees the lowly, but the proud He knows from afar.
- ↩Matt.11.29 — Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
- ↩Prov.13.10 — Only by arrogance does one stir up strife, but with those who take counsel is wisdom.
- ↩Prov.11.2 — When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
- ↩Isa.66.2 — And all these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one I will look to: the poor and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at my word.
- ↩Luke.14.11;Luke.18.14 — For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke.18.14 — I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than that one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
- ↩Gen.18.27 — Then Abraham answered and said, "Behold, I have now ventured to speak to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes."
- ↩1Cor.4.7 — For who makes you different? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you had not received it?
- ↩Luke.14.11 — For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
- ↩Matt.23.12 — Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Notes
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