Pope Leo XIII, the oldest reigning pope and author of the Saint Michael Prayer, delivers sixty lessons on the queen of virtues in The Practice of Humility. Cultivate humility with his first ten lessons below.
1
Open the eyes of your soul and consider that of your own you have nothing that is good wherewith to pride yourself upon being something.
Of your own, you have nothing but sin, weakness, and misery, and with regard to those gifts of nature and of grace which you enjoy, as you have received them from God, Who is the principle of your being, so to Him alone is their glory due.
2
Therefore, be deeply imbued with the idea of your own nothingness, endeavoring to increase it continually in your heart, in spite and to the shame of the pride that lords it over you.
Be intimately persuaded that there is nothing in the world so utterly vain and ridiculous as to wish to be highly esteemed on account of certain endowments which you have received merely as a loan from the gratuitous bounty of the Creator: for as the Apostle says:—“If you have received them, why do you glory as though they were yours, and as if you had not received them.”
3
Frequently ponder upon your weakness, your blindness, your vileness, your hard-heartedness, your inconsistency, your sensuality, your insensibility towards God, your attachment to creatures, and upon a host of other vicious inclinations that spring from your corrupt nature. Let this be to you a strong motive for continually diving deeper into your own nothingness, and for always appearing utterly small and vile in your own eyes.
4
Let the recollection of the sins of your past life remain ever imprinted on your mind. Above all things, be thoroughly convinced that the sin of pride is an evil so abominable that any other, be it on the earth above, or in hell beneath, is as nothing in comparison. This was the sin which made the angels in heaven prevaricate, and that cast them headlong into hell; this it was that corrupted the whole human race and brought upon the earth an infinitude of evils, which will endure as long as the world endures, or rather as long as eternity.
Besides, a soul laden with sin is only worthy of hatred, contempt, and punishment. Imagine, therefore, what possible kind of esteem you can have of yourself—you who have already been guilty of so many sins.
5
Consider, moreover, that there is no crime, however enormous or deplorable it may be, to which your corrupt nature does not incline, and of which you may not become guilty; and that it is only through the mercy of God, and the help of His grace, that you have been preserved from it up to the present, according to that saying of St. Augustine, “There is no sin in the world which one man has fallen into, which another may not commit, should the hand which created man fail to uphold him.”
Weep in your heart over so deplorable a state, and firmly resolve to reckon yourself one of the most unworthy of sinners.
6
Reflect frequently that you must sooner or later die, and that your body will have to rot in the grave.
Keep constantly before your eyes the inexorable judgment-seat of Jesus Christ, where we must all necessarily appear.
7
Do not flatter yourself that you will ever be able to acquire humility, unless you practice those particular exercises which are conducive to it. Acts of meekness, for instance, of patience, of obedience, of mortification, of self-hatred, of the renunciation of your own feelings and opinions, of sorrow for your sins, and the like.
Because these are the only weapons which will destroy in you the earth of self-love, that abominable soil which germinates all your vices, and wherein your pride and presumption take root and spread out in luxuriant growth.
8
As far as you are able, preserve silence and recollection, but at all times endeavor to do so without inconveniencing others.
When you are obliged to speak, always do so with reserve, and with modesty and simplicity.
And should it happen that no attention be paid to you, whether out of contempt or from any other cause, do not show any resentment, but accept the humiliation, and bear it with resignation and tranquility.
9
Most diligently guard against and carefully avoid giving utterance to disdainful and haughty expressions, displaying an assumption of superiority, as well as to all studied phrases, and every kind of frivolous jest.
Be ever silent on such matters as might lead others to believe you to be clever and intellectual, and well worthy of their esteem. In a word, never talk of yourself without good reason, nor desire to speak of things calculated to bring upon you honor and praise.
10
In your conversation, abstain from such observations and sarcastic remarks as may give pain to others; in a word, avoid all that savors of the spirit of the world. Seldom speak of spiritual matters in a magisterial tone or as one giving advice, unless thy charge or charity obliges you to do so.
Speak only of these things in order to be instructed by one who understands such matters, and whom you know to be capable of giving you seasonable advice; for to pose as a master in things spiritual without necessity, is to add fuel to the burning fire—that is to one’s soul, which is already ablaze with pride.
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This article is taken from a chapter in The Practice of Humility by Pope Leo XIII which is available from TAN Books.
