Path of Humility

Fourth Week
Directions for the Humble Soul

Preparation for the Fourth Week

We are convinced and resolved we will be humble.

But this impulse needs direction. False ideas, our own mistakes, and ingrained habit, all tend to draw us from the true path. Laws misunderstood and half-digested knowledge may leave us with an incomplete humility, ineffective and even dangerous.

On the other hand, the glory of true humility will show up the imperfection of ours, and by its charm will win our heart. To acquire a taste for good is already to live in accordance with its standards. Desire is the springing shoot, the mounting sap, the effort that tends to growth.

Certain of the following meditations will be concerned with various applications of the sentiment of humility in regard to God, to our neighbor, and to ourselves. Others will teach the cultivation of this virtue by exterior practice, by inner sentiment, and by that great spiritual flight that is known as the love of contempt.

Lastly, the virtue of prudence must be allowed to teach these impulses its own wise and careful methods of procedure.

This fourth week is, then, especially to be given up to the study of practical humility.

Some False Forms of Humility

These reflections regarding weak, false, and illusive forms of humility seem less useful for meditation than for reading and self-examination.

They fix our attention chiefly upon ourselves, while the aim of meditation is rather to fix it upon God. Since, however, there may be some who may prefer to make meditations upon them, the various parts have been so arranged as to make this possible.

I.- Rational Humility

This kind of humility is to be found in almost every soul of ordinary virtue. A little observation will soon show this to be the case. Now, merely rational humility is not the humility of Jesus, nor of the Saints, nor of those souls who are advancing in virtue. Not resting upon faith, it has not the strength to sustain high virtue; it does not soften the heart, nor shed abroad the light of the Divine reflection.

O my God, clear from my mind its narrow prejudices, and reveal the truth to me. I ask it for the sake of the humility of Jesus, that surpasses human reason by the whole height of Calvary.

I. In what rational humility consists.- That we shall not foolishly esteem ourselves, nor despise estimable people; that we shall not undertake what is beyond our strength or capacity; that we shall not exalt ourselves above our deserts, and that we shall be neither arrogant nor vain. This suffices for a merely natural humility. The humility of the Saints is offensive to it, it calls it extraordinary; if it dared it would call it fanatical.

The teaching of the masters of the spiritual life does not find grace in its sight. Its private opinion of it is expressed in such varying phrases as: "We may take or leave it," or "It is absurd."

Rational humility is not always dogmatic, it is often merely practical.

In such a way we are not deceived by reason, it is nature that carries us away.

We are ready nonchalantly to admit every Christian theory on this virtue without dreaming of applying it to ourselves. It is besides, the most natural thing in the world that we should seek to be seen and to rule.

If a certain need of justifying ourselves arises in our mind, we satisfy it by the most plausible excuses: to take the first place is no more than what is due to our rank; to speak well of ourselves, merely simplicity; and to accept without affectation all that flatters our self-love, only a holy liberty. This is no better than pagan virtue. Nonne ethnici hoc faciunt? sadly exclaims the Divine Master.

Such a humility is false in its principles, for, taking no account of the dogmas of faith, it is a mutilation of Christian humility. It is inadequate in its moral import, for it does not attain to its end; it is not that humility that maintains peace and charity, it is not such as produces self-abnegation and disperses illusions.

II. Why merely rational humility is to be feared.- Such a seemingly reasonable humility easily deceives us; we are shocked by no excess; nor yet is there anything seriously amiss, none of those moral deformities that betray evil.

Not only our reason but our own nature approves it. Of ourselves we can advance as far as that, and our innate sense of justice and goodness is satisfied.

Human common sense, in accordance with reason and nature, confirms us in a state of mind that excludes doubtful practices. Does not everyone think thus? A victim of the common error, though I have been in good faith, I am none the less utterly lacking in true humility.

III. The inadequacy of this humility.- It stops short on the threshold of the supernatural, and through its short-sightedness sees only the human aspect of humility. Now, in order to judge an object truly, we must not content ourselves with seeing only a part of it, however clearly.

The mistake here is not in seeing indistinctly, but into not seeing the whole, and in drawing conclusions as if we had seen the whole.

The dogmas relative to original sin and to our need of grace wonderfully elevate the point of view; to the eye of faith the undreamed-of extent of our dependence is revealed, and in the light of this discovery the inadequacy of a merely rational humility is plainly seen.

Recall the meditations of the second week, and the extraordinary impression they doubtless made upon you.

We have said that all dogma, that is true, becomes a legitimate principle of reasoning, and the conclusions thus arrived at, however unexpected they may be, have the fullest right to enter the domain of virtue.

Nothing, then, is more strictly reasonable than supernatural humility; but reasonable though it may be. it is far from appearing so to us.

We are terribly like those vulgar people who will admit nothing that they cannot understand. Speak to them of disinterestedness, and they will answer you, with a smile on their lips, that au fond everyone has, as a motive, some kind of self-interest; that disinterestedness does not exist, and that if by any chance we come across it, it is only trickery.

And these people are very sure of themselves. They are like those rustics who, depending on their own good sense, refuse disdainfully to avail themselves of the most authentic scientific remedies.

In the matter of humility, do not let us trust too much to what it is convenient to call good sense, for it is only of the earth, earthy.

Earth, of the earth, has no capacity to judge the the things of heaven. It is that human sense that, in the Pagans, treated us folly the sublime self-annihilation of Calvary, and which, among Christians themselves, stirred up to those "enemies of the Cross of Christ," of which S.Paul "could only speak weeping." It is found again, alas! in the rationalistic spirit of today.

Who can be sure that he is not tainted with it? Our natural instincts are full of it, and our minds are perhaps not wholly free from it. How many souls, of reputed piety, having lost in a measure the Christian sense, have despoiled the humility of Jesus of its supernatural exigences! Evacuerunt crucem Christi!

Let us seek, then, to see more clearly and to feel more keenly. The day is long in dawning, it is hard to rid ourselves of habit, though it be only a habit of mind, for the mind, too, needs to become accustomed to an idea in order to believe what it has only admitted by force of reasoning.

Reflections.- If my humility is not the humility of Jesus, it is too weak to support the supernatural edifice of virtue, and it is powerless in the eyes of God to attract His graces. It possesses neither that profound sweetness that assures peace, nor that special charm that makes it pleasing in the eyes of men. It is no more than an incomplete virtue, dry and unfruitful.

Yet we say that we believe we are humble because we are neither vain, ambitious, arrogant, nor susceptible. Ah! let us return to the school of Bethlehem, of Nazareth, and of Calvary; let us lend a more attentive ear to the Divine Master; and let us take as our ideal not the modesty of the worldly-wise but the humility of the Saints.

II.-A Narrow and Pusillanimous Humility

Is not the practice of humility likely to become a source of preoccupation? Will it not make me hesitate to take my part, fearful of giving an order, easily disturbed when the necessity arises to act with firmness? Will it not put me under tiresome obligations? Shall I not be liable to be easily scandalized by others?

Humility ought certainly not to cramp our ideas, nor on any account to paralyze our actions and make us timid.

To refuse to practice a virtue or to do a good work that circumstances clearly call for, because it may be an occasion to us of vanity, is the excuse of a narrow and exclusive soul.

To tremble in the presence of difficulties is not humility, but weakness.

Our first regard ought to be for the will of God, our sole rule of action, and we should base our confidence on the grace that accompanies it. Are we to defend our shy virtue even against God? or rather, can that even be called a virtue that exhibits a selfish fear for its own security and is so narrowing in its influence upon the heart and so paralyzing to zeal.

Self-complacence is a vice, but to be sad even to discouragement about oneself is another; it arrests all progress. To see evil in everything we do is neither just nor wise; the good that is in me is not mine but God's.

To be irritated at our faults is to know neither God nor self. True humility stirs us to regret, to prayer, to effort. False humility produces cowardice that has not even energy to arouse us to regret, much less to prayer and combat.

It is especially in the exercise of authority that this narrow spirit makes itself felt in the most deplorable fashion. We dare not give orders, or orders are given timidly, and we do not realize that we are depriving subordinates of a strength that they have a right to expect. We allow them to criticize and find fault without thinking that it is God in the superior that is being held up to scorn; all this is very prejudicial to the good.

This sort of defect is the very opposite of the preceding. Rational humility limits the virtue too much; narrow and pusillanimous humility carries it beyond the limits of prudence. This is not such a common fault, and that is easily explained. Rationalistic humility is the action of reason left to itself, while narrow and pusillanimous humility betrays, in addition to a natural defect, an excessive preoccupation with the views of faith.

To discover this eccentricity, and to institute means of getting rid of it, it is good to analyze the causes that produce it: the one, narrowness, belongs to the disposition of the mind; the other, pusillanimity, depends on the character. Thanks to this distinction, each will know where to set to work at reform.

I.Narrow humility.- Like rationalism, narrowness of mind sees humility only in part, but it sees it in its exigencies. It supposes pride where it does not exist, in such and such a principle or act that it believes is infected by it.

We shall deceive ourselves if we think that this defect is only t be found in persons of small intelligence.

Narrowness, as the word indicates, is only a want of expansion. The view is not wide enough, it does not embrace the whole, and it is only this complete view that permits the value of each detail to be seen; on the contrary, some particular point is seized with great clearness and energy, and given undue proportions, and it is not realized as possible that some other virtue such as charity, for example, may on occasion forbid humility, not to exist, but to appear.

Now the portion of truth that is found even in this error satisfies and gains the assent of the judgment. Then let us extend our view of the truth as far as possible.

The remedy is difficult of application, for it consists of self-doubt, and doubt of that part of the self that we are wont to defend most jealously: our judgment. Yet we must not hesitate, this self-doubt must be aroused, and we may aid it with the reading of books, and by laying open our minds freely to our director.

We shall find that as our minds widen they will become more just.

Education is often the sole cause of the defect of narrowness, and the inculcation of larger views may be a sufficient corrective.

If, however, the long application of narrow principles has developed a kind of mental twist, the cure is more laborious, and will be still more so if the evil has attacked the nature of the mind itself.

How are we to have sufficient judgment to recognize our own false judgment?

II.Pusillanimous humility.- We have already seen that pusillanimity belongs not to the mind but to the character, and it consists in a disposition peculiarly accessible to fear.

Fear may arise from an exaggerated circumspection, or from a feeble will. These two defects alike produce hesitancy and instability, though in a different manner. The mind that is over-circumspect foresees numberless possibilities in every decision, and is uncertain how to act; the feeble character would and would not, all the time seeing clearly what it ought to do. Neither the one nor the other can act decidedly, and both are equally liable in the course of action to be deterred from proceeding by the slightest obstacle.

These defects are not peculiar to mediocre souls. Some people are firm in governing others, and yet when it is a matter f themselves they are tortured with fears; they see pride in everything they do and think.

Pusillanimity, then, does not exactly indicate a want of intelligence, but an intelligence of a particular stamp, and it is often allied with extreme subtlety of mind. A multitude of aspect blinds, and numberless possible solutions confuse.

3.The choice of the remedy depends on the cause that produces the evil. Are you excessively prudent, very particular, even meticulous? Force yourself to quick decisions in ordinary matters. Even in serious matters do not reflect too much, and always make definite decisions. Then, having once decided, do not call the matter into question again, and if you have blundered never give way to self-reproach. Even the most wary do not escape such mistakes of human foresight.

If you are of an irresolute nature, easily put off by difficulties or opposition, beware, for you must not call this defect humility, you are simply giving way to your own weakness.

Stir up your courage, then, and impose upon yourself the duty of safeguarding more carefully your rights and your dignity. Maintain your commands and your observations so long as you are clearly in the right.

A narrow and pusillanimous humility gives to the face, the words, the whole exterior, something constrained and even artificial that makes others feel ill at ease, or leads them to impose. Direction will greatly help and encourage those who find in themselves such defects.

At bottom, narrowness and pusillanimity proceed from preoccupation with self, forgetfulness of God. These faults are contrary to prudence, whose mission it is to control all the virtues. They also offend against the social order, and bring discredit upon humility.

O my God, I beseech Thee give me that simple and courageous humility that only looks to Thee, but in looking to The feels all the force of duty and all the fearlessness of zeal.


III. Humility that is False in Expression

No one should pass over this subject, for very few entirely escape this defect, and the commoner a defect is the less it is noticed. Without being conscious of it, I may have much to correct in this regard. Yet I do not wish to be either false or artificial in my words or in my experience. I desire that my humility, if it is not of a very high order, may at least be genuine. Thy light, O my God! Thy indulgence! Thy help!

I. The nature of this defect.- Man has a certain inveterate tendency to place virtue in exterior actions, while, in reality, these actions are only the manifestation and effects of virtue. He is thus led by the logic of this mistake to content himself with forms of words and vain appearances. The baleful effects of such an idea prove too late the falseness of it. The Jews, in the time of our Lord, had fallen into ths error. When they had said to their poor parents, "The gift whatsoever proceedeth from me, shall profit thee," they believed they had fulfilled the law not realizing that besides due respect this law exacts the love that assists and is not satisfied with a mere form of words. Again, the Pharisees believed they were humble because they prostrated themselves in the streets, while they were entirely convinced of their superiority, and held others in supreme contempt.

Certainly we are not so bad as that! The teaching of the Gospel has penetrated Christian society too deeply to allow us to fall into such abuses, but we must take care, for our nature is still human, and human nature never alters essentially, and is prone to indulge its propensities as far as want of reflection and the conventions will allow. Jesus asks us to be humble, towards our neighbor a gentler attitude and more deferent manners, let us go into the church with more humble looks. Look at us, how humble we are! No one, of course, will say this explicitly, but some of us are secretly influenced by such sentiments.

Probe your heart well. When you say that you are worthless do you really mean it? When you abase yourself, would you permit others to look down on you? Do you not rebel when someone expresses doubt of your capacity, when you are neglected by someone or contradicted?

"There are some people who say that they are nothing, that they are abject, miserable, and imperfect, and yet who cannot bear the least word of disapproval, but complain of it at once; and if you notice some imperfection in them, on no account must you mention it, for they would be offended."

"I do not call humility," once said S.Francis of Sales, "that ceremonious assemblage of words, of gestures, prostrations, reverences, and genuflections, when all is done, as it is often is, without any inner sense of real abjection, or of just esteem for others; for all that is only the vain amusement of feeble minds, and ought rather to be named the phantom of humility."

II. The origin of this defect.- Every society forms for itself a language, and each member borrows its expressions. Pious people necessarily adopt certain expressions of humility that in some are perfectly sincere, while in others they are only an echo. This is often harmless enough, since forms of words do not count for much; but at the same time it is prejudicial to humility, since it disparages it, and to piety since it discredits it.

What we say, that let us sincerely strive to feel, for there should be a perfect correspondence between our words and our sentiments.

How beautiful humility is when it is sincere! But if it is ever so little defective in this respect, it loses all its beauty and charm.

This is a great lesson for ordinary virtue. If our humility is not deep enough to inspire us with the lowly sentiments of the Saints-do not let us express such sentiments, let us content ourselves with something less, that has at least the beauty of truth. We are certain to be aware of some defects that we may honestly avow, some inferiorities of which we are convinced, and to experience some wrongs that we can learn to accept with a good grace. Let our humility