Omnium Sanctorum… “Humility Is Essential To All Those Who Wish To Be Saved”

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK

“Ecce ego Joánnes vidi álterum Angelum ascendéntem ab ortu solis, habéntem signum Dei vivi: et clamávit voce magna quátuor Ángelis, quibus datum est nocére terræ et mari, dicens: Nolíte nocére terræ et mari, neque arbóribus, quoadúsque signémus servos Dei nostri in fróntibus eórum” “In Paradise there are many Saints who never gave alms on earth: their poverty justified them. There are many Saints who never mortified their bodies by fasting, or wearing hairshirts: their bodily infirmities excused them. There are many Saints too who were not virgins: their vocation was otherwise. But in Paradise there is no Saint who was not humble” (Apo 7:2-3). God banished Angels from Heaven for their pride; therefore, how can we pretend to enter therein, if we do not keep ourselves in a state of humility? Without humility, says St. Peter Damian [Serm. 45], not even the Virgin Mary herself with her incomparable virginity could have entered into the glory of Christ, and we ought to be convinced of this truth that, though destitute of some of the other virtues, we may yet be saved, but never without humility. There are people who flatter themselves that they have done much by preserving unsullied chastity, and truly chastity is a beautiful adornment; but as the angelic St. Thomas says: “Speaking absolutely, humility excels virginity” [4 dist. qu. xxxiii, art. 3 ad 6; et 22, qu. clxi, art. 5].

We often study diligently to guard against and correct ourselves of the vices of concupiscence which belong to a sensual and animal nature, and this inward conflict which the body wages adversus carnem [Gal. 5:17] is truly a spectacle worthy of God and of His Angels. But, alas, how rarely do we use this diligence and caution to conquer spiritual vices, of which pride is the first and the greatest of all, and which, sufficed of itself to transform an Angel into a demon! Jesus Christ calls us all into His school to learn, not to work miracles nor to astonish the world by marvelous enterprises, but to be humble of heart. “Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart” [Matt. 11, 29]. He has not called everyone to be doctors, preachers, or priests, nor has He bestowed on all the gift of restoring sight to the blind, healing the sick, raising the dead, or casting out devils, but to all He has said:

“Learn of me to be humble of heart,” and to all He has given the power to learn humility of Him. What then? Must we suppose that all the treasures of Divine Wisdom which were in Christ are to be reduced to the virtue of humility? “So it certainly is,” answers St. Augustine. Humility contains all things because in this virtue is truth; therefore, God must also dwell therein, since He is the truth. The Savior might have said: “Learn of Me to be chaste, humble, prudent, just, wise, abstemious, etc.” But He only says: “Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart”; and in humility alone He includes all things, because, as St. Thomas so truly says, “Acquired humility is in a certain sense the greatest good” [Lib. de sancta virginit. c. xxxv]. Therefore whoever possesses this virtue may be said, as to his proximate disposition, to possess all virtues, and he who lacks it, lacks all. Reading the works of St. Augustine, we find in them all that his sole idea was the exaltation of God above the creature as far as possible, and as far as possible the humble subjection of the creature to God. Humility is in reality a confession of the greatness of God, who after His voluntary self-annihilation was exalted and glorified; wherefore Holy Writ says: “For great is the power of God alone, and He is honored by the humble” [Ecclus. iii, 21]. It was for this reason that God pledged Himself to exalt the humble, and continually showers new graces upon them in return for the glory He constantly receives from them. Hence the inspired word again reminds us: “Be humble, and thou shalt obtain every grace from God” [Ecclus. iii, 20]. The humblest man honors God most by his humility, and has the reward of being more glorified by God, Who has said: “Whoever honors Me, I will glorify him” [1 Kings ii, 30]. Oh, if we could only see how great is the glory of the humble in Heaven! Humility is a virtue that belongs essentially to Christ, not only as man, but more especially as God, because with God to be good, holy, and merciful is not virtue but nature, and humility is only a virtue. God cannot exalt Himself above what He is, in His most high Being, nor can He increase His vast and infinite greatness; but He can humiliate Himself as in fact He did humiliate and lower Himself. “He humbled Himself, He emptied Himself,” [Phil. ii, 7, 8], revealing Himself to us, through His humility, as the Lord of all virtues, the conqueror of the world, of death, Hell, and sin.

No greater example of humility can be given than that of the Only Son of God when “the Word was made Flesh.” Nothing could be more sublime than the words of St. John’s Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word.” And no abasement can be deeper than that which follows: “And the Word was made Flesh.” By this union of the Creator with the creature the Highest was united with the lowest. Jesus Christ summed up all His Heavenly doctrine in humility, and before teaching it, it was His will to practice it perfectly Himself. As St. Augustine says: “He was unwilling to teach what He Himself was not, He was unwilling to command what He Himself did not practice” [Lib. de sancta virginit. c. xxxvi]. But to what purpose did He do all this if not that by this means all His followers should learn humility by practical example? He is our Master, and we are His disciples; but what profit do we derive from His teachings, which are practical and not theoretical? How shameful it would be for anyone, after studying for many years in a school of art or science, under the teaching of excellent masters, if he were still to remain absolutely ignorant! My shame is great indeed, because I have lived so many years in the school of Jesus Christ, and yet I have learnt nothing of that holy humility which He sought so earnestly to teach me.

There is a kind of humility which is of counsel and of perfection such as that which desires and seeks the contempt of others; but there is also a humility which is of necessity and of precept, without which, says Christ, we cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: “Thou shalt not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” [Matt. xviii, 3]. And this consists in not esteeming ourselves and in not wishing to be esteemed by others above what we really are. No one can deny this truth, that humility is essential to all those who wish to be saved. “No one reaches the kingdom of Heaven except by humility,” says St. Augustine. [Lib. de Salut. cap. xxxii] — From Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo, Humility of Heart].