Humility

Recently, a friend of mine and I were talking about the virtue of humility and about its central role in the Christian lifestyle. Since then, I've been struck by exactly how central it is. I've noticed how many occasions throughout the day we have for pride. Whether it be something happening at work or at home, there are so many instances where our pride rears up, and we feel wronged by the situations around us.

As fallen human beings, we tend to believe in ourselves far more than we should. We often have a disordered desire to be seen as important or noteworthy to the world around us. This is something universal to human experience throughout the ages, but there are so many examples of it in our own times. I believe the obsession with fame witnessed through the phenomenon of reality TV is largely a result of this desire for importance. Similarly, many of our politicians are in office not because they necessarily feel called to the self-sacrifice of leadership, but rather they wish to be viewed as powerful. Or, when I become jealous because a conversation has turned away from me to another person, this is another example of pride. 

There's a particular temptation to pride, also, when one possesses the truth. This is something we see even in Jesus's time in the example of the religiously orthodox Pharisees. How many times in the Gospel are the Pharisees shocked that Jesus associates himself with sinners? They are appalled that this man, who claims to be "the way, the truth, and the life" eats with those who don't follow the Jewish regulations. For the Pharisees, they have fallen into this mindset of "We have the truth, and these sinners do not, why does he socialize with them?" It's their pride that blinds them to who Jesus is, and I can't help but notice that I and others within the Catholic Church sometimes have this attitude as well. We look at those who disagree with us: proponents of same-sex marriage, advocates for abortion, immodestly dressed women and like the Pharisee we say, "God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers" instead of repeating the prayer of the publican: "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

The effects of our pride, though, are the same as the effects of the Pharisees' pride - we are cut off from Jesus Christ. How can we recognize how important we are to Him, if we are constantly seeking to be important in the eyes of others? How can we see Truth in our souls if we are focused on His apparent absence in others? Humility is not a degradation of one's self, but rather it is an opening up of the heart and mind to God. By removing ourselves from the center of the universe, we allow God to bring us in to the center of Himself. This is primarily done, though, in the smallest situations of day to day life. It involves accepting the injustices that come, and not dwelling on the faults of others. It means that we must always be mindful of the thoughts we are entertaining and the emotions we are actively engaging in. But most of all it means recognizing our littleness and pleading for Christ's help. Lord, that I may be humble, so that I might love!