Humility is my *favorite* virtue.
I’m not saying I have it, I just like it. I aspire to it.
So thanks to Jesus, Mary, the saints, and especially Blessed Mother Teresa, I know what to do to be humble: accept the will of God, say Yes so that God may use me to further his will, draw close to God in all circumstances, embrace my vocation as a gift from him, etc. Bl. Mother Teresa has a fantastic checklist to gain humility.
And tonight I found a checklist to see if you haven’t gained humility. Just yet, that is.
Like the persistent neighbor, St. Josemaria Escriva has rapped on my soul again; and AGAIN I’ve found myself shortened by his measure. Check it out – an excerpt from St. Josemaria’s Furrow, 263.
Allow me to remind you that among other evident signs of a lack of humility are:
- Thinking that what you do or say is better than what others do or say
- Always wanting to get your own way
- Arguing when you are not right or — when you are — insisting stubbornly or with bad manners
- Giving your opinion without being asked for it, when charity does not demand you to do so
- Despising the point of view of others
- Not being aware that all the gifts and qualities you have are on loan
- Not acknowledging that you are unworthy of all honour or esteem, even the ground you are treading on or the things you own
- Mentioning yourself as an example in conversation
- Speaking badly about yourself, so that they may form a good opinion of you, or contradict you
- Making excuses when rebuked
- Hiding some humiliating faults from your director, so that he may not lose the good opinion he has of you
- Hearing praise with satisfaction, or being glad that others have spoken well of you
- Being hurt that others are held in greater esteem than you
- Refusing to carry out menial tasks
- Seeking or wanting to be singled out
- Letting drop words of self-praise in conversation, or words that might show your honesty, your wit or skill, your professional prestige…
- Being ashamed of not having certain possessions…
It’s so tempting to think, “Yeah, but St. Josemaria is a SAINT. Of course he held himself to this standard.” Or you might think it’s a touch on the radical side or a little too much to ask, and you’d be right. Being a solid Catholic is radical. It’s extreme. It goes against the flow of the mainstream and calls us to correct the seemingly innocuous defects within ourselves. I’m wrestling with quite a few of these and I’m hoping for more insight – is it prideful to be excited that someone spoke well of me? how do I get around mentioning myself as an example in conversation when the dialogue is focused on common circumstance? Through prayer, especially the intercession of St. Josemaria, I’m hoping to get to the bottom of this.
This whole humility thing is a jagged horse pill – doesn’t go down so easily and it might be painful to attain because I have to detach from sin and emerge from being entrenched in earthly matters. BUT it’s important to note that humility isn’t some arbitrary standard, it’s the imitation of Christ himself. To be humble is to get our pride out of the way so we can allow God to work through us. It’s knowing who we are in relation to God and establishing your self-worth on his love for us.
Bottoms up, guys.
