Humility opens the door or gate to Heaven. Without it, there is no direct entry. Do we possess it in sufficient quantities? Better put: have we expelled all pride that contravenes it?
Easier said than done. A lifetime challenge.
And all brought into focus by a little book, Humility, first time in English, penned by the medieval monk, Thomas à Kempis , who penned the classic Imitation of Christ.
“The person who is intent upon gaining the approval of others and being thought of as great becomes more and more distant from God,” Kempis wrote. “Proud people do not truly know themselves, nor do they perceive their own calling, condition, and destiny clearly.
“The more pride raises up one’s own self-estimation, the more liable one becomes to the judgment of God. The one who climbs high in pride, raises himself up for an inevitable fall.
“The humble person, however, who keeps his feet planted firmly on the ground, will stand securely. Hidden pride is a most pernicious vice, the more so since it is not recognized and does not recognize itself. On the outside, it may appear gentle, mild, and even humble. Yet inside, it burns away bitterly.
“The person who is subject to such pride becomes inordinately elated when he is successful but is disturbed and dejected in the face of adversity or failure.
“The one who seeks to condemn others and justify himself ends up condemning himself by displaying his pride and arrogance. It is typical of a proud person to seek to please himself and to trust entirely in his own opinions.”
Are we guilty of this? Do we follow others who are guilty of this?
“In this life, the hazards and attacks of the devil assail us both from right and from left, from both the outside world and from within our own hearts.
“There is no more powerful weapon against these hazards and attacks than true humility and devout prayer made with a pure conscience.
“With each proud thought that enters the mind and with every haughty sentiment that springs up in the heart, the souls encounters a new snare or trap.”
As the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus, proclaimed in her wonderful canticle, “He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly” (Luke 1:52).
Adds Kempis, “For new spiritual perils arise from those who grow proud because of their imagined virtue or strength. Such people are often quick to criticize others and deride those who seem simple to them.
“But the proud position themselves so that they are liable to fall into dangerous delusions, errors, and adversity. For it reflects a distorted and perverse sense of judgment to think always well of oneself but to be hasty to think ill of others.”
[resources (highly recommended): Humility and the Elevation of the Mind to God]
