Humility to Human

One of the foundations to any legitimate Christian spirituality is humility. A false humility thinks less of self, the true version thinks more. True humility teaches that creatures can only improve by what makes it, growing only in “eating bread from heaven.” In Christian humility believers not only realize the ego must get out of the way for charity, but learn by getting out of the way they are given a divine strength to run in resolution to what is beyond. Humility, sub-servant externally becomes one of the greatest of internal spiritual actions, towards spiritual maturity beyond the self.

We can learn how to live this humility from saints, humans like us. What has made them saintly is a grace, grasp and resolve that they live best when they are not the point. A saint has come to realize they are just little icon of what made them. Saints are wisely open to others, even when multiple souls advise that living in this world has proven the demand for self protection. This is one reason why the saints are effective; their external openness to smallest becomes giant among the masses of ego. Their openness to smallness allows room and training for the great spiritual work given to them. It is their humility, accepting the mess of themselves and human experience that becomes a spiritual life truly lived. Case in point, St. Francis of Assisi embraced, reluctantly at first, humility knowing it was the only way open to spiritual life:

“In the Incarnation, Francis [St. Francis of Assisi] saw that becoming human was the basis for humanity. In embracing our humanness, Jesus did not cling to being God. This choice was the epitome of humility. In so choosing, Jesus could accept everything to which human nature is prone, even death. This image of Christ as seen on the cross became an essential component of Francis’ new self. Like Jesus, humility for Francis meant not to cling to anything or appropriate any goods, titles, honors or position. It meant to be servant to all, even inanimate creatures. It meant generosity of spirit and generosity of heart, the willingness to let all others be first. It meant obedience to all, being subject to all, just like Jesus, the Word made flesh, who did not cling to honor, status or power. In recognizing his true self in this image, Francis embraced the essence of his being and the realization that he needed nothing else to give him worth.” (Roch Niemier, O.F.M. St. Anthony Messenger, Oct. 2006 p. 19-20.)

As with St. Francis, the saint opens to God’s help, humble enough to be filled up, after the rejection of many things lesser. The saint has learned God fills and protects the soul, even as the same time the saint accepts they will “be fed and trampled on”. Saints have gained enough humility to believe that only God creates their value, His value through them is to overflow into this dangerous world. God has devised one of many plans to feed His ego ridden children, if they will not feed on Him, He will burn evil out of the hearts of man, even if He allows them to feed on their saintly bothers and sisters. This world demands in its’ weakness, security and substance. Saints have enough humility and confidence to knell to be sacrificed for egos, if need be, for they were there once as well. These saints have become so human that they are transformed into something new, not a losing of humanity, but fulfilling the human to possess less shadow from the fall.

Humility can do that, humility becomes the tool to power Christian self-realization. The question is do we want, in humility, to participate in the hard work to ourselves? The hope that we have is that what Godly humility starts can be brought to completion in man by a Godly grace. God creates man so like a man was to be made, that hell shutters at the power.