Humility: is it a forgotten virtue? (Part I)

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One day in 2018 while on a visit to the Holy Land, I took a short day trip to Bethlehem. I joined a large queue outside the Basilica of the Maternity, a Byzantine-style church marking the birthplace of Christ. In front of me stood a woman in her mid-eighties very small in stature. When our turn to go inside the basilica came, I was surprised that this woman had some difficulty entering through the doorway. Then I realised that it measured less than a metre and a half in height. When it came to my turn, I ended up almost crawling through the ancient doorway.

Do we recognise humility?

Later I learned that this rectangular entrance is called The Doorway of Humility and dates back to the Ottoman period. It was constructed specifically to prevent Ottoman raiders from entering on horseback and pillaging the church. Thinking about such reduced dimensions can challenge us; the idea that we must physically bend down to encounter God - a God who is so different from who we think he is, and who hides in the figure of a newborn baby - perhaps says something about what our attitude should be too. Speaking about the virtue of humility, the author and philosopher C.S.Lewis stated that humility is not about thinking less of yourself, but thinking about yourself less. The actual word humility comes from the Latin humilis which means “earth” or “clay” or “grounded.”

Humility helps us accept reality

What difference can humility make in our lives and our relationships with others? St.Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun and Spanish mystic in the fifteenth century, stated that humility is walking in the truth. Looking back to the Latin root, maybe this is what “grounded" means. However, our ordinary everyday experience shows us this is not easy to achieve. Pope Benedict once wrote that the most profound moments of his life have not been what he has done or what he has achieved, but how much he has accepted in life. It is not easy to fully accept who and what we are or are not. To accept our life as it is, and not as we might dream or imagine it to be.

Acceptance is difficult because we have inherited the not so nice legacy of pride or egoism or self-love in its many different manifestations. And we all know that pride blinds us and prevents us from finding or seeing the truth. We are familiar enough with the various signs of pride that lie hidden within each one of us. These can vary from adopting a smug complacency when we hear praise about our deeds and person, to taking offence when wronged, or desiring to control others or situations or wanting to be consulted or admired or approved. Pride is like a crafty chameleon that can be difficult to unravel and expose. It can tie us up in knots and rob us of our peace.

A paradox: the power of Humility

It goes without saying that humility is one of the most powerful virtues. A person who is humble just sees him or herself as one more among others, and this gives them the space and the freedom to discover what is lovable in other people. They are more open to others and able to see that person in the light of their good points. In relationships, a humble person learns to be positive whereas a proud person tends to over stress the negative. 

Those who are humble know they can’t control everything, and they don’t even try! They respect the mystery of the universe and are able to trust more in God than in themselves in spite of the uncertainty of the future. A humble person trusts in God’s grace, knowing that in the words of St. Paul, “their powers are made perfect in weakness.” ( 2 Corinthians 12:9)

Our greatness lies in our humility 

Ultimately humility is an attractive virtue; it generates trust in others and creates better connections with people. Recently I came across an interesting expression: “If you are in a dark room, don’t beat the darkness with a stick. Turn on the light instead.” Humility is a light that helps us discover the greatness of our own identity as a human being capable of carrying out a dialogue with our Creator and able to accept our dependence on him with complete freedom. Far from filling us with gloom or sadness, this discovery of our “creaturely” status can become a rich source of deep joy. 

C.S. Lewis has these wise words on humility: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” 

What are the best lessons in humility? Stay tuned for the next blog post to find out.