"Learn of Me, because I am meek, and humble of heart." -----Matt. 11:29

THE mystery of the Redemption, as we have said, is especially the manifestation of our Lord's love for us. Supernatural love or charity contains virtually all of the virtues which rank below it. Charity vivifies the other virtues, inspires them and orders their action to the supreme end, which is its own object: to the love of God above all else. Among these other virtues of our Lord, humility is one that merits special attention because through it in particular Jesus cures us of pride, which according to Scripture is "the beginning of all sin." [Ecclus. 10:15.]

The ancient philosophers who have described at length nearly all the moral virtues, have never spoken of humility because they ignored its twofold foundation: namely, the dogma of creation ex nihilo [we have been created out of nothingness], and the dogma of the necessity of actual grace for even the smallest salutary act.

Worldly wisdom often maintains also that humility is nothing but an air of virtuousness that is affected by the weak, the cowardly, the discouraged. In its eyes, humility hides a lack of intelligence, ability, and energy. According to the world, the prudent and determined man must know what he is worth in order to assert himself and command respect. He can have no use for a humble attitude that would denote a lack of vigor and dignity .Thus are humility and cowardice confused.

Our Savior, He Who was the strongest of the strong and Who could say to His disciples, "Have confidence, I have overcome the world," [John 16:33.] Jesus, true God, the Word made flesh, Who could awe everyone by the power of His intelligence and of His character, by the splendor of His miracles, Jesus, the greatest man in mind and heart that ever walked the earth, tells us: "Learn of Me, because I am meek, and humble of heart; and you shall find rest to your souls."  [Matt. 11:29.]  God wishes that we learn this virtue of self-effacement through Him whose greatness surpasses anything here below.

The reason for this is that our Lord's humility, far from being an indication of a lack of intelligence or of energy, derives from a very elevated knowledge of God and is united to a very high dignity. Pascal, wishing to show how infinitely superior Jesus is to all human heroes and geniuses, was content to write: "He gave us no invention, He did not reign; but He was humble, patient, holy, holy to God, terrible to demons, without any sin whatever! Oh! in what magnificence was He clothed to the eyes of the heart which see Wisdom!" [Pensees.]

Let us inquire into the principle of Jesus' humility, how He practiced this virtue, and how it was united in Him to magnanimity or greatness of soul.

The Principle of Christ's Humility

True humility does not arise from any lack of clear-sightedness or ability; it springs from a profound understanding of God's infinite greatness and of the nothingness of creatures which cannot exist by themselves. This twofold knowledge becomes ever more unified, for God's infinite majesty manifests the frailty of creatures, and inversely our helplessness reveals to us by contrast God's immense power. St. Catherine of Siena tells us that these two truths are, as it were, the highest and lowest points on the circumference of a circle which grows continually in size. When anyone knows where the lowest point is, he can see by contrast where is the diametrically opposite point. The ever-growing circle is the symbol of contemplation.

Humility is born of the realization of the abyss which separates God from creatures. God the Father, desiring to instill this thought into the soul of St. Catherine of Siena, said to her: "I am Who am, thou art who art not." This is what He had said to Moses.

God is Being. He cannot not be, having existed from all eternity, without beginning and without any limitation whatever, the infinite ocean of being. God is also sovereign wisdom, Who knows everything that is to happen in the most remote future, and for Whom there is no mystery. He is love, never-failing and impeccable. He is power, before Whom nothing can resist without His permission.

On the other hand, no matter how gifted a creature may be, by itself it is not, that is, it is not self-existent. If a creature has received its existence from God it is gratuitously on His part, because He has most freely loved it, by creating it out of nothingness. The ancient philosophers never rose in their thinking to the explicit idea of creation ex nihilo. The thought of the absolute liberty of the creative act never occurred to them. God might very well not have created us. He had no need of us, He Who is infinite goodness and beatitude.

Creatures by themselves are nothing, and once they exist they are still nothing in comparison to God. The glow of a candle is something, minute as it may be, in comparison to the blazing sun. However, even the noblest creature is nothing compared to God's infinity, compared to the infinite perfection of His wisdom and His love. Since creation, there have been more beings, but there is no more being, no more life or wisdom or love. Likewise, in relation to the Most High, Angels, men, and grains of dust are equally infinitesimal, for between all creatures and God there is always an infinite distance.

Moreover, intelligent creatures depend upon God for the direction of their lives, for He assigns to them their final end, eternal life. "What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?" And what is the best path to attain eternal life? The path that Divine Providence has mapped out for us from all eternity. It is incumbent on us humbly to recognize this path. It is not for us to determine it ourselves. It may be a hidden way, to preserve us from pride and from forgetting God. Perhaps it is a path of suffering, one that is richer than any other in the fruits of life. The apostolate of prayer and of suffering is no less fruitful than the apostolate of teaching, and it even fecundates the latter by inspiring the search of doctrine not only in books but from the source of life. We must humbly accept the path, which may be hidden and painful, that our Lord has chosen for us in His mercy, the path that is indicated to us by circumstances and by those that our Lord has given us as guides.

Finally, in order to advance in this path which leads to eternal life, what can a creature accomplish of itself? Nothing. Even if a creature has received an abundance of sanctifying grace, it cannot accomplish the slightest salutary act or make the smallest step forward without God's actual help. This help is offered to each creature, but it cannot benefit by this help if it falls prey to the attraction of pleasure or to the temptation of pride. Those who best understand the sublimity of the goal to be attained, are also best aware of their own frailty. Who knew this better than the Saints? They mistrusted themselves and placed their confidence in God.

This is the principle of humility: the realization of God's infinite greatness and of our own nothingness. What then, was the nature of Jesus' humility?

In order to understand Christ's humility, we would need to fathom as He did the mystery of the creative act and the mystery of grace. Both here on earth and in Heaven Jesus is even humbler than Mary and than all the Saints, for He understands better than they the infinite distance that separates every creature from its Creator and He knows better than anyone else the greatness of God and the frailty of every human soul and of every created spirit.

As we said earlier, Jesus enjoyed the Beatific Vision while He was still here on earth. He saw God face to face through His human intelligence, enlightened by the splendor of the Word. Instead of having to use His reason, as we do, and to use human words to express the idea that God is Being, Wisdom, and Love, Jesus saw the Divine essence, the Deity, directly. The most elevated portion of His sacred soul was as in a perpetual ecstasy, captivated by the splendor of God. And with the same vision, which is superior to reason and to faith, He saw the nothingness of all creatures and of His own humanity. Like a painter of genius who can at once tell a masterpiece from a paltry reproduction, Jesus could see continually, even while here on earth, the infinite distance separating time from eternity.

Whereas men who undertake difficult human tasks on their own initiative often take on a determined and dominating attitude, Jesus thought only of humbly accomplishing under His Father's guidance the Divine mission He had received: "Father  . . . not as I will, but as Thou wilt." [Matt. 26:39.]

Jesus was also perpetually aware that by His human powers alone He could accomplish absolutely nothing toward the Divine goal He was seeking: namely, to lead souls to eternal life. He rejoiced in this powerlessness, for it glorified God and demonstrated how lofty is the supernatural end to which Providence has destined us: "My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me." [John 7:16.] "The Father who abideth in Me, He doth the works," [Ibid. 14:10.] that is, the miracles that Jesus worked in His name.

There is a particular act of humility which consists in recognizing not only our nothingness but our wretchedness as the result of sin. This act is necessary for contrition, for sorrow at having offended God, and naturally our Lord, who is impeccable, never made such an act of humility. But He who was innocence itself wished to take upon Himself all our sins. He understood the gravity of mortal sin better than anyone else, and He suffered from it more than anyone else in the measure of His love for God who has been offended and of His love for our souls. He more than anyone else felt inexpressible disgust before such an accumulation of defilement, before so many acts of cowardice and injustice, so much treachery and sacrilege. At Gethsemane this disgust almost overwhelmed Him with nausea: "My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me." [Matt. 26:30.]

The Union of Humility and Magnanimity in Jesus

Jesus understood better than any creature, even while He was still on earth, the greatness of God, man's weakness, and the gravity of the sin He came to wipe out. That is why He was the humblest person that ever lived. This humility, far from being a cloak for a lack of intelligence and energy, was the sign of the loftiest contemplation and the condition of a unique spiritual power. Moreover, it was united to the most perfect dignity, to the noblest supernatural magnanimity which inspires to great things, regardless of the sufferings and humiliations that must be encountered.

These two virtues, humility and magnanimity, in appearance so opposed, are reality related and mutually support each other like the two sides of a pointed arch. They rise together. No one is deeply humble unless he is magnanimous, and it is impossible to be truly magnanimous without great humility. [Cf. St. Thomas, IIa IIae, q. 11.9, I, 31 q. 161, a. I f. ad 3. Humility prevents presumption and pride; magnanimity strengthens us against discouragement. Humility turns us toward God and before what there is of God in our neighbor. Magnanimity inspires us to great things, to those which the Lord wishes us to accomplish even at the cost of men's censure. Alfred de Vigny perceived this when he said: "Honor is the poetry of duty." In his Servitude et grandeur militaires, he called to mind the oft-hidden heroism of the best soldiers.] In the spiritual physiognomy of our Savior these two virtues are wonderfully united.

Let us call to mind St. Thomas' description of magnanimity, enlarging upon Aristotle's. Magnanimity seeks only great things worthy of honor, but places little value on honors in themselves. It does not dread scorn if it must be borne for a great cause. It is not elated by success or discouraged by failure. Material goods mean little to it, and it is not greatly disturbed at losing them. The magnanimous man gives freely what he can to all. He is truthful and takes no stock in any opinion that is opposed to truth, no matter how formidable it may become. He is ready to die for the truth. [Cf. St. Thomas, IIa IIae, q. 11.9, a. 1-8.]

This greatness of soul is to be found in all the Saints, intimately united to their profound humility. It was, of course, present in an eminent degree in Jesus. [John 18:36-38.] And He was never greater than during His Passion, in the hour of His last humiliations. Let us call to mind His answer to Pilate who had asked Him if He was a king: "My kingdom is not of this world . . . Thou sayest, that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth. Everyone that is of the truth, heareth My voice." [In the most magnanimous Saints, like St. Paul, we discover deep humility, and in the most humble Saints, like St. Vincent de Paul, we find great magnanimity.]

 These two virtues of humility and magnanimity are always united in the life of our Savior. He willed to be born in the humblest condition, although He belonged to a royal race. He was the son of a virgin, but He was thought by men to be the son of a carpenter. He who was the Word of God and could awe everyone, chose to live for thirty years a hidden life working at the most commonplace trade, in order to show us that nothing is accomplished without recollection and humility. Yet we often tend to complain because we are given work beneath our abilities.

After He had emerged from His hidden life, Jesus-----innocence itself-----sought out John the Baptist to ask him for the Baptism of penance, just as if He had been a sinner. But John at first refused, saying: "I ought to be Baptized by Thee, and comest Thou to Me?" [Matt. 3: 14.] Jesus' answer was: "Suffer it to be so now. For so it becometh us to fulfill all justice." [Ibid. 3:15.] By this he meant that it was fitting that the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world should voluntarily place Himself in the ranks of the sinners. When John heard this, he resisted no more, and when Jesus had been Baptized the Spirit of God descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and a voice from Heaven was heard, saying: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." [Ibid. 3:17.]

After His baptism, Jesus willed to be tempted in the desert so that He might be more like us. This was still another proof of His humility, and it also taught us to conquer the spirit of evil and to answer his seductive offers with the word of God.

At the very outset of His ministry, what were His first words? "Blessed are the poor in spirit," the humble. To them He promised great things: the kingdom of Heaven.

Whom did He choose as His Apostles? Unlettered fishermen, a publican like Matthew, and He made of them "fishers of men," than which there is nothing greater.

How did He teach them, when they were wondering among themselves who was the greatest? He called a little child to Him and, placing him in their midst, He said: "Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven."

[Ibid. 18:2-4.] Here indeed is the union of humility and supernatural magnanimity which reached up for the great things which are obtained only through the grace of God humbly prayed for each day. As a great Catholic writer, E. Hello, once said, "It is time to become humble, for it is time to become proud," or magnanimous in the sense God wished us to be.

These two virtues are also united in the words Jesus spoke to His Apostles on Holy Thursday when He was washing their feet as a supreme mark of humility: "You call Me Master and Lord; and you say well, for so I am. If then I being your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another's feet . . . The servant is not greater than his lord; neither is the Apostle greater than He that sent him." [John 13:13-16.]

His glory and one of the signs of His mission is to preach the Gospel to the poor. He allowed the publicans to approach Him, and also Magdalen the sinner, and He made of her a great Saint. Although He did indeed enter Jerusalem in triumph, He came mounted on an ass and opposed by the Pharisees. He permitted this opposition. Let us, then, not be irritated when we meet with contradictions.

The Passion was the hour of supreme humiliations accepted for our salvation, to cure us of our pride. Barabbas, the outcast of his people, was preferred to the Word of God made flesh. Men sneered at our Savior, they struck Him and spat in His face, they insulted Him until He breathed His last upon the Cross. Yet His greatness shone forth to the centurion, who could not help crying out: "Indeed this was the Son of God."  [Matt. 27:54.]

Never was deeper humility united so closely to a loftier magnanimity. It is in recognition of this fact that St. Paul said to the Philippians: "For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men . . . He humbled Himself becoming obedient unto death, even to the Death of the Cross. For this cause God also hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a name which is above all names: that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth: and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father." [Phil. 2:5-11.] Humility and magnanimity, self-abasement and a wholly supernatural greatness, these two virtues are to be found, in an attenuated form in all the Saints.

Likewise the Church is unceasingly humiliated, and she seems to be vanquished although she is always victorious. It is necessary that certain interior souls should be particularly united to these humiliations of the Church and should work for the salvation of sinners, always seeming to fail. This is the path of pure love.

There are certain works that will always be a source of humiliation and of graces for those who undertake them. These souls must not complain if things go well in the eyes of the Lord, although they do not seem to succeed. For the Lord Himself has placed His hand on these works and accepts the oblation of reparation which through these works is offered up to Him each day. St. Philip Neri used to say: "I thank Thee, a my God, that things are not going as I should like them to."

These humiliations and sufferings are good, and were all the consolations of earth to come at such moments, they would not console. The Lord does not will it. For there is a certain dose of suffering that we must bear, and if it were taken away from us, we should have lost the better part. We sometimes complain at the lowliness of our state in life and we desire the appearances of greatness. God loves us much more than we dream. He has already given us great things through Baptism, Absolution, and Holy Communion. These blessings are infinitely superior to those which we are foolish enough to desire. And even greater blessings have been promised to us: to see Him for all eternity as He sees Himself, and to love Him as He loves Himself.

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