Holy Scripture cries out to us

[MariaChristi]

Holy Scripture cries out to us, brethren, saying: “Anyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” When it so speaks, it teaches us that all exaltation is a kind of pride, which the prophet shows that he shunned in the words: “O Lord, my heart is not proud nor haughty my eyes; neither have I dwelt on high things, nor on marvels beyond my reach” (Ps 131[130],1)… Wherefore, brethren, if we wish to attain to the summit of humility and desire to arrive speedily at the heavenly exaltation to which we ascend by the humility of our present life, then we must set up a ladder of ascending actions like that which Jacob saw in his vision, on which angels appeared to him “descending and ascending” (Gen 28,12). By that descent and ascent we must surely understand nothing else than this: that we descend by self-exaltation and ascend by humility. And the ladder erected is our life in this world, which, for the humble of heart, is raised up by the Lord to heaven…

The first degree of humility, then, is that we keep the fear of God before our eyes, altogether shunning forgetfulness and let us ever remember all the commandments of God... In order then that the monk may be careful regarding his wrongful thoughts, let the good brother say constantly in his heart: “Then shall I be spotless before him if I keep myself from sin” (Ps 18[17],24). We are, indeed, forbidden to do our own will by Scripture, which says to us: “Turn away from your own will” (Sir 18,30). Moreover, we ask God in prayer that his will be done in us... “The eyes of the Lord keep watch on the evil and the good;the Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there is one who is wise and seeks God” (Pr 15,3; Ps 14[13],2)...

Then, when all the degrees of humility have been climbed, the monk will presently come to that perfect love of God which casts out all fear (1Jn 4,18). In this way he will begin to observe without labor, as though naturally and by habit, all those precepts that formerly he did not observe without fear... for love of Christ and through good habit and delight in virtue. And these things the Lord will deign to manifest by the power of his Spirit in his worker.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

When I read this commentary by St. Bernard, this morning, I could not help but think of Mary who cries out, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in the Gospel of Luke: "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. He looks on His servant in her lowliness..." St. Bernard had great devotion to Our Blessed Mother and so could rejoice with her in humility. By God's Grace, with Mary and the Saints we enter the Holiness of God and His Humility.

Jesus, Meek and Humble of Heart, make our hearts like Yours.
Virgin Most Humble, pray for us.
St. Bernard, St Louis (whose feast we celebrate today) and all the saints, pray for us.

 

[mountee]

What a great way to begin my day, thank you for posting. God bless you.

 

[MariaChristi]

What a great way to begin my day, thank you for posting. God bless you.

Dear mountee,

Thanks for your response. Here is another quote which speaks of humility and Holy Scripture. It is from St. Padre Pio, whose Feast day is today, Aug. 26:

“You have the words of eternal life”

Be patient and persevere in the practice of meditation. Be content, to start with, to make progress only by degrees. Later on you will have legs that will ask for nothing but to run or, better, wings for flying with.

Be happy to obey. It’s never easy but it is God we have chosen as our portion. Accept that, as yet, you are only a little bee in its nest but, very quickly, it will become one of those wonderful workers so skilful in making honey. Always remain humble before God and men, in love. Then our Lord will speak to you in truth and enrich you with his gifts.

It can happen that bees will cover great distances over the meadows before they find the flowers they want. Afterwards, worn out but satisfied and laden with pollen, they go back to the hive to carry out the silent but fruitful transformation of the flowers’ nectar into the nectar of life. You, do likewise: when you have listened to the Word, meditate on it attentively, study its different aspects, seek out the depths of its meaning. Then it will become clear and luminous to you; it will have power to transform your natural inclinations into a pure uplifting of the spirit, and your heart will be always more closely united to the heart of Christ.