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Thirteenth Friday after Pentecost
- caelidomum
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Thirteenth Friday after Pentecost. First Means for Becoming Humble: To Be Determined to Become So.
Summary of the Morrow’s Meditation.
After meditating upon so many reasons for being very humble, we will now meditate on the means of becoming so, and we will consider: 1st, that the first means is to have it strongly at heart to acquire humility; 2d, that it is a labor of the whole of our life. Our resolution shall be: 1st, often to ask God for this virtue as being the most necessary thing in the world; 2d, cheer fully to accept all opportunities of humbling ourselves. Our spiritual nosegay shall be the words of the Holy Ghost: “Humble thy spirit very much” (Ecclus. vii. 19).
Meditation for the Morning.
Let us adore God, finding in humility such great attractions, such powerful charms, that He delights to look upon the humble (Ps. cxii. 6; cxxxvii. 6); and that having to choose a mother. He gives the preference to her whom He considers to be the most humble (Luke i. 18), to which St. Bernard adds: “Mary, by her humility, conceived the Word of God incarnate.” O Lord, couldst Thou better teach me to understand how this virtue ought to be dear to me above all others, and how greatly and constantly I ought to have it at heart to acquire it ?
We ought to have it Greatly at Heart to become Humble.
To become humble is a difficult enterprise, which often requires more strength of soul and more true courage than are necessary to expose our life upon a battle-field. All that wounds our self-love touches us so to the quick, that it is only great energy of character and of will that can triumph over it. To become humble is an affair of supreme importance of which we must think far more highly than of fortune or of health, than of reputation and of all earthly possessions, since eternity depends upon it. We must therefore take greatly to heart holy humility, desire it ardently even as we desire what we most esteem, earnestly ask it of God, and often meditate upon the inestimable value of it. We must read by preference books which speak of it, and delight in everything that leads us to and confirms us in it; for example, simplicity in our clothing and in everything of which we make use, modesty in our manners and language, charity, which, far from blushing at it, takes pleasure in the society of the poor and the insignificant; which, far from imagining itself to be lowered by rendering to its neighbor the most humble serv ices, is glad to seize upon all opportunities of doing so. Lastly, we must imitate the man of business, who has it greatly at heart to make a fortune, and who consequently pursues his aim night and day, looks out narrowly for everything that may lead to it, and never loses an opportunity of enriching himself; every evening he goes over his accounts, balances his losses and his gains, and takes precautions either not to incur the same losses the next day or to add fresh profits to preceding ones. Thus ought we to act in regard to humility, which is the great fortune to be amassed by the Christian, his riches and his treasure; every day we must take for our text the acquisition of this virtue, refer to it all our spiritual exercises, meditations, communions, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, and every evening we must examine our conscience on this subject, that we may see at what point we have arrived, what is our progress, and what have been our falls. Is this our practice ?
The Acquisition of Humility is a Labor of the Whole of our Life.
Humility being-, on the one hand, the most essential of virtues in regard to salvation, and, on the other, the one which we are most in danger of losing (since self-love, which seeks to deprive us of it, is a danger which meets us at every moment, which follows us into retreat as well as into exterior relations, which mingles with our thoughts and imaginations, as well as with our words and our actions), it becomes evident that a constant uninterrupted vigilance is necessary with respect to it. If we neglect ourselves one single day, immediately self-love will either come and whisper to us about our merits, our talents, our virtues, and that in language which will sound so sweetly in our hearts that we shall allow ourselves to be seduced, or else men, seconding therein the perfidious intentions of self-love, will come and applaud us, often even against their own con science and from pure flattery, and we shall be simple enough to accept their false praise as being so many truths, and we shall take pleasure in it, without thinking of the judgment of God, the only equitable judge of persons and of things. The labor is therefore one which endures throughout our whole life. If even we had applied ourselves during sixty or eighty years to acquire humility, we should have to go on applying ourselves to it still as we did the very first day, in order to per severe until our last sigh and die in humility. One moment of pride before death would be enough to damn us eternally, and no one can answer for himself in regard to so delicate a point. There is therefore no other means of salvation but to take constantly to heart, and with great firmness and constancy, to become humble. Let us beg of God to penetrate us with this truth !
Resolutions and spiritual nosegay as above.
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