I have often reflected on humility, what it is, how I practice humility in my daily life, and how it is looked at by the secular world. The Holy Rule (chapter 7), outlines humility as the center of a Benedictine life. Yet it remains for me a great challenge. From our birth, particularly here in the United States, we are taught that humility is a sign of weakness, something to overcome. Success is position, power, influence, and property. The strong survive and the week, the humble, come in last. Yet all we need do is crack open that dusty Bible sitting on the shelf and turn to the book of Matthew chapter 5 and read The Sermon on the Mount where Jesus teaches The Beatitudes. 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
A pretty tall order. A call of sacrifice, difficulty and suffering with rewards of eternal merit. Rewards outside our day-to-day life. Rewards of, and in eternity, rewards non-temporal. I know that for myself, these rewards seam distant, and outside my understanding and grasp. Perhaps even rewards that we are called to take on faith.
God gives us something to assist us in living true to His teaching, if we choose. We are given community. The communities which we are a part of, help to define who we are, our values, and how we treat others. Those who we live with, work with, commiserate with and celebrate with, support and strengthen us. Through these communities we grow and uplift one another. Or they can tear us down and diminish us. Choose very wisely.
At Holy Cross Monastery, as a part of our most recent Oblate meeting we discussed a document from Cistercian Studies Quarterly written by Michael Casey, OCSO: Humility: A Gift of Community. This document was written through the lens of monastic community. If read in light of the communities in which we live (family, work, friends, political…) I feel that you will find it applies and can offer some helpful thoughts to ponder.