Only once in Sacred Scripture, in the Gospel of Matthew (11:28-30), does Jesus describe the characteristics of His Sacred Heart: “Come to me all you who find life burdensome, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
These are the two essential qualities of His Sacred Heart that Jesus highlights: meekness and humility. From this passage the Church has formulated one of its most beautiful aspirations, which we can take into our hearts and repeat frequently during the course of the day. That prayer is: “Jesus meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine.”
Time and time again, Jesus insists on the dire importance of humility if we want to find God’s favor. God rejects the proud, and He lifts up the humble. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican illustrates this perfectly (Lk. 18:9-14). The two go up to the temple to pray. The Pharisee names all his good points and praises himself. The Publican, on the other hand, remains in the back of the temple and does not even lift his eyes to pray, begging God to have mercy on him, a sinner.
Our Lady gave us the perfect example in proclaiming herself the handmaid of the Lord. In her marvelous prayer, the Magnificat, she both praises God and humbles herself, saying, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…for he has looked upon the lowliness (humility) of his handmaid” (Lk. 1:46-56).
Given that this virtue is essential to our growth in holiness, let us point out some practical ways in which we can strive for humility.
- Pray
It has been said that we are greatest and highest—in the eyes of God—when we are on our knees. By praying we are acknowledging our dependence on God and not on ourselves. In the words of the “Doctor of Grace,” St. Augustine, pertinent to the virtue of humility related to prayer, “We are all beggars before God.”
- Cultivate Gratitude
How important it is for our holiness to cultivate an attitude of gratitude and to say often, both to God and to others, those significant words: “Thank you!” Humble people go out of their way to give thanks to others. Jesus was both dismayed and hurt when, after healing the ten lepers, only one returned to give Him thanks. The one that returned was not only thankful but humble—recognizing that his healing was a pure gift of the Heart of Jesus the Healer, The Divine Physician.
- Take the Last Place
Jesus offers us the Parable of the Banquet, in which many were jostling to secure for themselves the best place, closest to the Host. Jesus gave the warning that, when invited, we should take the last place and not the first. Then we will be first in the eyes of God. This is a sign of a humble heart!
- Do Not Curse Others
Our natural tendency, when we are on the road and someone cuts us off, is to utter some nasty words, maybe even to curse the rude guy. This is an all-too-natural reaction—not supernatural. Jesus wants us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. These commands are expressed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, the Our Father, as well as when He hung from the cross: “Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing.”
- Compliment Others for their Gifts
One of the most poisonous attitudes in the spiritual life is jealousy, or envy. When we capitulate to these ugly feelings, we hurt God, ourselves, and others. By choosing to praise or compliment the other person instead, we win the spiritual battle, for, indeed, this is a victory in humility!
- Be First to Greet
Imagine this scene that all of us have experienced: you are walking towards someone you know and the distance between you is lessening. Do you wait to be greeted first, or do you take the initiative to greet the oncomer? It may seem insignificant, but whoever takes the initiative to greet first is practicing a host of virtues: charity, courtesy, hospitality, affability, and, of course, humility. We put this person before ourselves when choosing to greet first, and that is humility.
- Apologize
Here is a big one—which is easier said than done! When we make a mistake, offend someone, or fail in one way or another, it is all too easy to rationalize, justify, or simply sweep it under the rug, as if it were nothing or didn’t even happen. How insidious and prevalent the ugly head of pride is! A humble person is an honest one, capable of admitting his error and saying, “I am sorry.” How many relationships have been mended and restored by these simple and exceedingly humble words?
- Listen Attentively
St. James states it very clearly: “We should be slow to speak and quick to listen” (see Jas. 3 for the sins of the tongue). A person that wants to do all the talking and is unwilling to listen is often a person filled with pride and self-love. But a person that makes a concerted effort to listen to the other attentively, encourage, and not seek to get the last word displays great humility. The listener pleases Jesus, who was the best of speakers but is also the best of all listeners (see Lk. 24 on Jesus and the disciples of Emmaus).
- Confess Your Sins
Every time we prepare ourselves and make a good sacramental confession, our “humility thermometer” ascends to a soaring level. To confess with transparency, sincerity, and honesty our moral failings to another person (the priest—who represents Christ) demands great humility. None of us likes to bring to light our spiritual ugliness, but it must be done if we want to climb the ladder of humility and holiness.
- Have a Devotion to Mary
Our Lady is the surest, quickest, and most efficacious pathway to Jesus. In True Devotion to Mary, the great Marian saint Louis de Montfort exalts Mary and ten of her most sublime virtues. Among Mary’s most choice virtues is that of her profound humility. Of all God’s creatures, Mary was the greatest—and by far the humblest. She recognized that all her gifts, talents, and virtues were pure gifts from God, the Giver of all.
So, in our pursuit of holiness in this life we must strive to understand the paramount importance of the virtue of humility. But even more importantly, let us stive to put into practice this essential virtue. May we lift up our hearts often throughout the day, longing for holiness and humility, and pray:
Jesus meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
