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NotWorthy
Guest
God Bless John A. Hardon S.J.!!! I was reading an article of his called “God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven on Earthy” and he talked about the Spiritual Implications. The First one is Humility. What he wrote about it really struck home. It put together all my thoughts into one clear concise point that I’d like to share. I hope you enjoy it.
The first spiritual implication of our having been created by God is humility. Humility is living the truth. And the truth is that before God in His goodness brought us into being, we were exactly, mathematically and, as we say in philosophy, metaphysically—nothing. We were nothing. We would be nothing except for God’s gift of creation.
In practice, we are not to consider ourselves simply more than we really are. More than we really are! What is more than nothing? Anything! As you reread the great saints and mystics of Catholic history, men like John of the Cross or women like Catherine of Siena—you are sometimes startled at how little, how unimportant they considered themselves in their own eyes. Well they might, because, whatever else the saints realized, they knew more clearly than most people that once we admit that, of ourselves, we were and would be nothing, it becomes (I do not hesitate saying) psychologically impossibly to indulge even in one passing moment of pride. What are we, what do we have, that we have not received from God?
One of the consequences of our having been made by God out of nothing is that we have no claim to anything of our own. Everything we are and everything we have is a gift that belongs to God. But for that very reason, it is to be used according to the will of God. We dare not hide in pseudo-humility by not putting it to use, not exploiting the gifts that God has given to us which He wants us to use for His greater glory. We should never be afraid, if we use God’s gifts according to His will. He will protect us from pride, provided we keep telling ourselves, “Whatever I have, whatever I am is a sheer, unmerited gift from God.”
Notworthy
The first spiritual implication of our having been created by God is humility. Humility is living the truth. And the truth is that before God in His goodness brought us into being, we were exactly, mathematically and, as we say in philosophy, metaphysically—nothing. We were nothing. We would be nothing except for God’s gift of creation.
In practice, we are not to consider ourselves simply more than we really are. More than we really are! What is more than nothing? Anything! As you reread the great saints and mystics of Catholic history, men like John of the Cross or women like Catherine of Siena—you are sometimes startled at how little, how unimportant they considered themselves in their own eyes. Well they might, because, whatever else the saints realized, they knew more clearly than most people that once we admit that, of ourselves, we were and would be nothing, it becomes (I do not hesitate saying) psychologically impossibly to indulge even in one passing moment of pride. What are we, what do we have, that we have not received from God?
One of the consequences of our having been made by God out of nothing is that we have no claim to anything of our own. Everything we are and everything we have is a gift that belongs to God. But for that very reason, it is to be used according to the will of God. We dare not hide in pseudo-humility by not putting it to use, not exploiting the gifts that God has given to us which He wants us to use for His greater glory. We should never be afraid, if we use God’s gifts according to His will. He will protect us from pride, provided we keep telling ourselves, “Whatever I have, whatever I am is a sheer, unmerited gift from God.”
Notworthy