22nd SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
‘Everyone who exalts himself will
be humbled’
St. Bernard of Clairvaux is quoted as
saying that the three greatest virtues in
life are humility, humility, humility. The
word humility comes from the Latin word
‘humus’, meaning earth. To be humble,
then is to be grounded, earthed. Humility
is not weakness. It is the surest sign of
strength. It is the key to wonder. It means
accepting with joy the wonder of my
being, while acknowledging that all I have
comes from God. It is about developing a
healthy estimate of myself as He sees me.
The opposite of humility is pride. Pride
is about my glory; humility is about God’s
glory. Pride is concerned with who is right;
humility is concerned with what is right.
Pride makes us artificial; humility makes
us real (Thomas Merton). It’s not thinking
less of myself; it’s thinking of myself less.
It’s not about denying my strengths; it’s
being honest about my weaknesses. We
actually come nearest to the great when we
are great in humility. St. Clare of Assisi got
the balance right when she was heard to pray
on her deathbed: ‘thank you God for having
created me’.
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