Moses, the one who led the Israelites from captivity into freedom, received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. In the new Exodus story, Jesus “...went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:1-3).
Attacking quite possibly the deepest and most staunch enemy of freedom, Jesus initiated the Beatitudes by equipping us with pride’s most feared adversary: humility. It is hard, if not impossible, to truly possess any other virtue if we lack in humility. Simply put, the opposite of humility is pride. Within every sin committed, there is an element of pride at its core. In the words of St. Augustine, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” If our other virtues are filled with pride, then they lack the authenticity to be classified as virtues at all. “Humility is the root, mother, nurse, foundation, and bond of all virtue,” St. John Chrysostom once remarked.
If there is a sin in your life that you just cannot seem to shake, and if you’ve tried countless times through you own efforts and prayers but continue to bring it back to the confessional time and time again, then it’s quite possible that the underlying issue is pride, with humility as the hidden solution. Sometimes progress is unable to be made until our pride is shattered and we are broken. The Lord desires a meek and humble heart, one that approaches him transparently, intimately, authentically and humbly. What good would it accomplish to free us from one sin if we were to go about it boosting of our heroic efforts, the strength of our will, while continuing to judge others? We essentially trade in one sin only to take on several others, all while failing to recognize the greater sin (pride) than the one we are working so hard to cleanse. Sometimes it is pride itself that the Lord wishes to purge; while therefore, in his infinite wisdom, allowing us to struggle in the other sin. The Lord desires men and women of great humility. When he finds a soul with a humble heart, there is no limit to what he can do, no restriction to what he can accomplish and no sin that he cannot obliterate in his mercy!
Consider the humility within the Holy Family:
Jesus:“Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11).
Mary:“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed...he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Luke 1: 46-53).
St. Louis de Montfort testified that the devil flees from Mary precisely because of her humility. In his pride, he simply cannot stand it to get crushed (see Genesis 3:15) by a mere human. "The…devil is even more humbled to see himself under the feet of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the most humble person who has ever been, than to feel crushed by the arms of the Almighty" (True Devotion).
Joseph:Unlike Mary, we cannot quote St. Joseph because not a word of his was spoken in all of Scripture. St. Joseph remained content to be hidden as his foundation was centered around God, not himself. Bearing no desire to be in the limelight or draw attention to himself, his example teaches us an incredibly valuable and absolutely essential element in the spiritual life…It’s not about YOU!
By bringing Jesus, Mary and Joseph into your spiritual life, the pride in your heart will begin to be melted away and replaced with humility. Paradoxically, the smaller you become the greater your strength over the devil will be. His tricks and empty promises will no longer have dominion over your life and seize you in bondage. Mother Teresa aspired to be small enough to fit into the heart of Christ. Resting there, we are hidden from the trappings of the evil one. Be humble, become smaller and smaller and be set free!
Let us pray the following “Litany of Humility” each day hereafter:
Litany of Humility:O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Amen.
Congratulations! We have just completed our blueprint of active spiritual exercises to guide us through the wilderness. Keep the following two pages bookmarked in a way that you can always quickly and easily return to them. This is not meant to be an exhaustive, comprehensive list, so feel free to customize and personalize throughout the different stages of your life. You can always come back and rework this process anew.
• Continue all the spiritual practices.