God's Humility

[Milestone]

A while ago, my older brother told me about one of the things that fascinates him most about God, namely, His humility. I was intrigued by this and asked him to explain. He said that God is infinitely humble in that in His humility, He, the creator and sustainer of the universe, chose to become a human being born to a lowly peasant girl in a manger, to die for the sins of a fallen people who had and continues to reject him. I found this profound and rather amazing, but I’m wondering if it is correct to say that God is humble. What is humility, anyways? When I look it up on the internet, it says it’s a modest or low view of oneself, but this doesn’t seem to describe God. What do you think?

 

[brad90956]

What is humility, anyways? When I look it up on the internet, it says it’s a modest or low view of oneself

“He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23: 11-12).

Humility is the most basic of all of the Christian virtues. In order to believe in God, we need to humble. Humility allows us to believe in someone greater than ourselves.

St. Theresa of Avila said, “humility is living in the truth.”

We live in the truth with ourselves by being just who we are and not trying to be something that we are not. We live in truth with our neighbor through mutual respect, kindness, and acceptance. We live in the truth with God by being humble and obedient to Him.

The opposite of humility is pride. Pride is a very ugly sin that causes terrible disharmony, division and sadness. Humble people are people filled with joy and peace. Humble people are wonderful to be with because they are forgetful of themselves. Humble people are kind and compassionate to all those around them.

A humble person thinks of others first and themselves second.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. We are called to imitate his way of life. He is the model of humility.

 

[NeedImprovement]

Phillippinas 2 : 6-12 [NAB]

Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance,he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 9 to the glory of God the Father.

Apart from the Scriptural references, we also have Jesus Christ - truly present in his entire Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - in the Blessed Sacrament ; which is at the same time both an expression of God’s profound love for us, and of His infinite humility.

For definitions on religious or faith-based subjects, I frequently consult Father John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary . Here’s what it says on humility :

HUMILITY.
The moral virtue that keeps a person from reaching beyond himself. It is the virtue that restrains the unruly desire for personal greatness and leads people to an orderly love of themselves based on a true appreciation of their position with respect to God and their neighbors. Religious humility recognizes one’s total dependence on God; moral humility recognizes one’s creaturely equality with others. Yet humility is not only opposed to pride; it is also opposed to immoderate self-abjection, which would fail to recognize God’s gifts and use them according to his will. (Etym. Latin humilitas, abasement, humility, from humus, ground.)

So as brad90956 says, humility is opposed to pride.

To read more on humility as it pertains to God, Father Hardon’s article The Divine Attributes Retreat ;The Attributes of God ; The Humility of God provides some valuable insights.