Posts Tagged ‘Humility’
The Humility of St. John the Baptist
As the great St. Ambrose says, truly one must be clothed and armed on all sides with humility if one wishes to enter into the combat and war against vice. Our glorious St. John was indeed armed with this virtue. O God, how wonderfully present it was in this great saint! For he was neither…
Read MoreGod Resists the Proud
God resists the proud, because the proud oppose Him; but He dispenses His graces liberally to the humble, because they live in subjection to His Will. Oh, if we humble made place for the divine gifts, how great would be the affluence of that grace in our souls! One of the worst consequences of our…
Read MoreThe Proof of True Humility is Patience
The proof of true humility is patience: neither meekness of speech, nor humbleness of bearing, nor the giving up of oneself to lowly works, is a sufficient indication by which to judge if a soul is truly humble. There are many who bear all the appearance of exterior humility, but who are angered at every…
Read MoreHumility is the Remedy for Evil
It may be said that humility is the most efficacious remedy for all evil and a most potent antidote to preserve the soul from that death and guilt which leads to everlasting perdition. And yet it is this virtue which we neglect most of all. O my Soul, God, who Himself desires thine eternal salvation,…
Read MoreSt. Benedict on Humility
From The Rule of St. Benedict (Regula) , Chapter 7, on Humility. Brothers, the Holy Scripture cries to us, saying: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11). By these words it declares to us that all exaltation is a kind of pride, which the Prophet…
Read MoreRemedies Against Pride (PART II)
Consider also the danger of vainglory, the daughter of pride, which St. Bernard says, enters lightly but wounds deeply. Therefore, when men praise you, think whether you really possess the qualities for which they commend you. If you do not, you have no reason to be proud. But if you have justly merited their praise,…
Read MoreMaking Good Use of God’s Graces
The true reason for which God bestows so many graces upon the humble is this, that the humble are faithful to these graces and make good use of them. They receive them from God and use them in a manner pleasing to God, giving all the glory to Him, without reserving any for themselves. This…
Read MoreA Prayer for Detachment from All Earthly Things by Thomas à Kempis
Lord Jesus Christ, you alone are my hope and my refuge. You are my best solace in times of trouble and my trusted guide in times of perplexity and uncertainty. Therefore, today, I renounce all things in this passing world for the sake of your love. I earnestly aspire to fulfill this resolution to the…
Read MoreExamen on Humility Toward Our Neighbor
According to the doctrine of St. Thomas the first act of humility consists in subjecting ourselves to God, and the next is to subject – that is to say, to humble – ourselves toward our neighbor for the love of God. As the Holy Ghost says through St. Peter: “Be ye subject therefore to every…
Read MoreThe Proof of True Humility is Patience
The proof of true humility is patience: neither meekness of speech, nor humbleness of bearing, nor the giving up of oneself to lowly works, is a sufficient indication by which to judge if a soul is truly humble. There are many who bear all the appearance of exterior humility, but who are angered at every…
Read MoreHumility As the Foundation of All Virtues
“Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart,” says the Lord (Matthew 11:29). Our highest teacher and lawgiver, Jesus Christ, urged us to learn the virtue of humility. For whoever cultivates this marvelous virtue will quickly arrive at spiritual perfection. But without humility, no amount of study of Sacred Scripture or theology,…
Read MoreThe Virtue of Humility: Part II
Towards God Your very first duty as a parent is to teach your child to render himself entirely obedient to God. Period. There is no next best thing. There is no consolation prize for the parent who neglected this one divinely given duty. If your child is elected president of the United States or appointed…
Read MoreLet Us Give Ourselves Completely to Mary
In October of 2019, I was blessed to make a private pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal, where Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children in 1917 with an urgent message for the world. It was a pilgrimage of many and great graces. I was able to offer Holy Mass at the very place of the apparitions,…
Read MoreThe Virtue of Humility: Part I
“In Paradise there are many Saints who never gave alms on earth: their poverty justified them. There are many Saints who never mortified their bodies by fasting or wearing hair shirts: their bodily infirmities excused them. There are many Saints too who were not virgins: their vocation was otherwise. But in Paradise there is no…
Read MoreHumility is Essential to All to be Saved (Part I)
“No one reaches the kingdom of Heaven except by humility.” -St. Augustine The TAN Books “Book of the Year” is a favorite entitled Humility of Heart by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo. The English version of this TAN classic was first published in 1905, translated by Herbert Cardinal Vaughan of England who for more than…
Read MoreHumility: A Hidden Source of Strength
Humility is the virtue which is perhaps more easily misunderstood and underappreciated than any other. Our culture values personal confidence, self-belief and resolution, and rightly so. And we are acutely aware of the psychological dangers of low-self-esteem, with which so many people struggle today, especially the young. Yet true humility is not in opposition to…
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