All Eyes on ME

Now the ladder erected is our life on earth, and if we humble our hearts the Lord will raise it to heaven. We may call our body and soul the sides of this ladder, into which our divine vocation has fitted the various steps of humility and discipline as we ascend. (RB80.7.8-9)

We come again to the study of humility. One of those virtues that we are to desire; yet one can seem pretty elusive.

I grew up with the idea that everything in life was supposed to be about ME. It became apparent at an early age that I had a need to be verbal, very verbal. So, I was taught to express myself.

I did a great job at learning that lesson: I have thoughts, I have feelings, I had opinions...about almost everything. I have likes and dislikes; I have strengths; I have passions; I have desires; I have a need to be noticed. As you can tell, lots of my life can be about me sometimes.

Chapter 7, "On Humility", gives me a chance to pause, give my "me" focus a rest. Benedict reminds me that the end goal of life is eternal life with God in heaven. He believes that I cannot get there on my own, through focusing on how great I am and what I can accomplish. It is only through remembering who God is and who I am that the goal can be reached. The secret to reaching eternal life is remembering that all is gift from God. It is God who provides all the material and the strength necessary to live a good life.

How am I using God's gifts today?

Sr. Catherine, OSB