Kempis on: Having a Humble Opinion of Self

 

Imagine a man, falsely accused of a crime, being dragged through the streets while he is being ridiculed, betrayed and humiliated, stripped of his clothing, tortured and hung on a cross until his death... all the while his mother watches in horror and sadness. I would call it the epitome of humility. When I pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, it really has an effect on me. His passion is remarkable in the sense that we, as a society, fail to appreciate His Love and sacrifice.

The esteemed author C.S. Lewis wrote, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less." In the case of our Lord, Jesus Christ, He sacrificed everything for us. He thought less of Himself for us.

First, a quick review of what vanity is. 

In the last post I listed what Kempis explained what vanity is. Things like seeking and trusting in riches that perish, pride (thinking of oneself better than others), following the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come (lust-no explanation necessary), wishing for long life and to care little about a well-spent life (faith in God), being concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come (judgement of Christ), forgetting the 3 theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity.

Vanity is a a nowhere-fast proposition. Vanity is for the intellect, an earthly (as in non-heavenly) attitude, humility begets wisdom. Pride leads to self destruction when one is so vain they will not deny themselves. 

St. Augustine asserts that humility is not only a significant virtue; it is the indispensable foundation of human greatness.

And the passages regarding humility from Holy Scripture are endless.

Matthew 25:12

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Proverbs 11:2

When pride comes, disgrace comes; but with the humble is wisdom.

James 4:10

Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

So what does Kempis say about the subject? 

1. A humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars.
2. He who knows himself well becomes mean in his own eyes and is not happy when praised by men.
3. If I knew all things in the world and had not charity, what would it profit me before God Who will judge me by my deeds?
4. If you think you know many things and understand them well enough, realize at the same time that there is much you do not know.
5. Therefore, if you see another sin openly or commit a serious crime, do not consider yourself better, for you do not know how long you can remain in good estate.
6. All men are frail, but you must admit that none is more frail than yourself.

In my 'about me' page, I write where I quit praying for intelligence but instead I began praying for wisdom. Using item #4 above, as an example, the more I learned, the more I realized I didn't know. There were always questions I couldn't answer or situations I was inadequate at responding. It was wisdom that brought me to the point where I could explain purgatory, Jesus' True Presence in the consecrated host, Our Blessed Mother, and Mother Church being the One True Church for example, not intellect. People may not believe me when I explain these things, just like they don't believe our good shepherds on the pulpit (talking about many Catholics).

Kempis says the greatest wisdom is to focus on the kingdom of heaven. It certainly makes sense as we know that King Solomon's first request, when asked by God, was wisdom. This pleased our Lord very much. (Unfortunately his, Solomon's, wisdom was short term, as, in his older age, built idols for his many wives. God noticed.)

Humility has had the profound affect I hoped it would for me. My wee little brain may not have  intellect I once desired, but my decisions are all centered around my relationship with Jesus. Everything I do, I think of Jesus first and how it will affect the outcome of my relationship with Him. For example, every word I write in a blog post, I scrutinize. If I think at any time that I write something for a "pat on the back" I delete it or modify it. The only acceptance I look for is from Jesus Christ. (I use the delete key quite a bit. Maybe not so much as in years past, but I still know where the key is on the keyboard.)

One concern that took the most time to rid myself of was what others thought of me. That's vanity. In item #3 above, the only judgement I concern myself with is God's. The most difficult conversation I have with anyone, is pointing out sin. YES, I look at the speck, sometimes log, in my eye. Yes, I am a sinner. But understanding the virtue of Charity, I accept the responsibility of helping others avoid sin. It's confusing to me why people would think I hate them for pointing out a mortal sin, when actually it's the love I have for them. My Hope is to help them move away from that sin. It once was, but is no longer about judging anyone. (Item #5)

Analyzing #6, I am frail. I'm not speaking about physicality but of spirituality. If I'm not careful, I can sin at a moment's notice. And I do, but thank the good Lord for the sacrament of Confession. The feeling I get when the priest tells me, "I absolve you of your sins." is second only to receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. 

I watched a talked one time, given by Father Chris Alar of The Marians of the Immaculate Conception, where he asked the question, "Is it easier for Catholics to get to heaven?" The humble answer might be no (with which the majority of the audience answered) but the wise answer is yes. Catholics have the Seven Sacraments and sacramentals that we hold true in our hearts. Goodness, they are gifts from God. (I so pray that our Protestant brothers and sisters would realize this.) Having the sacraments and not taking advantage their holiness does nothing for us. 

Every time, and I do mean, EVERY time I look in the mirror, make a decision or respond to someone I ask if I am doing it out of vanity or humility?

Considering point #2, I do this for the Glory for God, not anyone else. However, I really do love you and ask that you join me, if you haven't already, in making Jesus the center of your life. Amen?

Until next time, may God grant you peace.