Humility

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The whole point of love is making yourself small. To enjoy these riches we must be humbled and recognise our nothingness, and that is what so many are not willing to do. It is to God alone that all value must be attributed; there’s nothing of value in my little nothingness.
St. Therese of Lisieux
When we look at what we have at our lives we must agree with Therese that we are nothing and everything we have is blessing given to us by the grace of God.
 
I whole heartedly agree.

Thank you for the reminder of how blessed we all are :bible1: ❤️
 
What does humility look like or sound like. I have a friend who to me is very humble before God and has a beautiful sense of confidence. Shes looks interested when one talks to her and if she responds she sounds like she had listened. Does humility be for God cause a personj to glow when they smile or giggle at troubles that seem overwhelming? My mother had a very serious stroke. She could think, she could talk, she could eat with one hand, but was for the most part helpless. I asked her one day if she felt angry or frustrated with her condition. She said," sometimes it seems so strange and overwhelming to me, and I have a little talk with God and he makes is small and unimportant." Is humility an intiment relationship with God that can only be express with a loving confidence?
 
Simply put, humility is realizing your status and power compared with God.

Compared to God, we are almost nothing.

Anything we have, power, skills, goods, comes from God and we should be thankful for them and use them in His service.

They are not ours, rather God has entrusted us with them for the betterment of His people.
 
I pretty much agree with T.A. Stobie. Many think that humility is lowering yourself and groveling, or something like that–reminiscent of Uriah Heep, perhaps (those of you who’ve read Dickens will know what I mean). In fact, humility is an ACCURATE picture of who and what you are; God knows, and it is well that you know.
 
Since this topic came up, I thought you folks would enjoy and appreciate this prayer. It’s from Orientations, by John Veltri, S.J. (an online prayer book):

A PRIVATE LITANY OF HUMILITY

From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being preferred, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of comfort and ease, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being criticized, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being passed over, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being lonely, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being hurt, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering, deliver me, Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I,
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.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, strengthen me with your Spirit.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, teach me your ways. O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
help me put my self importance aside
to learn the kind of cooperation with others
that makes possible the presence of your Abba’s household.

Adapted from a prayer by Rafael, Cardinal Merry Del Val,
from the prayer book, For Jesuits, 1963, Loyola University Press.
 
Humility is recognition and acceptance that we are but creatures who owe our lives and destinies to none but our Creator.

Gerry
 
“Only a penitent man can pass” (Indiana Jones):bowdown:
 
The virtue by which a Christian acknowledges that God is the author of all good. Humility avoids inordinate ambition or pride, and provides the foundation for turning to God in prayer (2559). Voluntary humility can be described as “poverty of spirit” (2546).
 
Dearest Friend

Here’s a piece I wrote about humility a while ago.

To be humble, to lose our corners, to have humility, is to serve our Lord. To see our place in humanity as servant of all, the least of the less, to lay before all people, ourselves in love of Christ. To endlessly give and give again and again without receipt. To lose all desire to receive, to lose all willingness to be praised for our humility, to be reluctant when another offers praise for our acts.

To forgive and forgive and forgive again endless times over the sins against ourselves without thought of revenge and maliciousness. To forgive in love of Christ.

To have humble sorrow for the suffering of others and for the suffering of Christ. Christ’s suffering, the greatest suffering endured. In our personal sufferings humbly trust God because without our human suffering, faith is not glorified and the human spirit is never fulfilled.

To have humbleness in our sins, to fall ashamed before the Lord. To walk so humble upon His earth that He isn’t aware of our moving, but for our praise to God, the service of our hearts to other’s and the footprints we leave upon the earth.

This is to serve the Lord.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
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