Humility…1 – 7 July 2017

In our wanderings around the issues of Christian contemplative life and prayer, we have visited “Humility” before.   Paul advises the church at Rome: I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think… [Rom 12:3].  The court of Donald J Trump, we might assume, is not a shining example to the world of humility.

Perhaps the longest chapter in the Rule of St Benedict is Chapter 7 on Humility.   Its overall effect, as Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister points out, is that it topples the entire spiritual merit system.  It teaches what the pharisee Saul of Tarsus had to learn, as did Martin Luther… and many others of us through the centuries.  Fullness of life, salvation, whatever we are seeking, is not to be found down the road of dos and don’ts, pious exercises, devotion and self-denial, shining righteousness, charitable donations.  In this chapter Benedict lists his Twelve Steps of Humility.  They are formidable, certainly, at first sight – even more perhaps at second sight – but Sister Joan gives us a précis which I find helpful and encouraging.  So I would like to go down this list of 12 steps over the next few weeks, and see how we get on.

I think it’s worth reminding ourselves that the word Humility comes from the Latin humus, which means the earth, the soil.  The essential quality of humility is truth, honest like the soil.  I cannot really decide to be humble – either I am or I am not -- either grace has taught me humility or I have not been paying attention.  And so, yet again we point out that the process of all contemplative life and prayer is seeing the generally unhumble ego brought into line, into humility – Benedictines would say, into obedience -- reducing its demands, dropping its masks and pretensions.  This is not something we can achieve – that would be just another triumph of the ego, anyway – rather it is a result God creates in us… a triumph of grace. 

Here then is Sr Joan’s summary of Benedict’s 12 Steps of Humility – and we’ll look at them over the next maybe six weeks:

1.            Recognise that God is God.

2.            Know that God’s will is best.

3.            Seek direction from people of wisdom.

4.            Endure the pains of development and do not give up.

5.            Acknowledge faults and put aside the masks.

6.            Be content with less than the best.

7.            Let go of the false self.

8.            Preserve tradition and learn from the community.

9.            Listen.

10.          Never ridicule anyone.

11.          Speak kindly.

12.          Be serene, stay calm.

Now, too easily that can read or be heard like some slick commercial prescription for happiness.  My task will be to describe, if I can, the humility of Christian discipleship and faith which lies down this path.