Humility--Facing Truth

It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Thy hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn thy commandments. RSV.Ps 119.71-73

Humility invites me to face the truth about myself. There are many times when I would prefer to remain in my fantasy that I am in control of my life and destiny. The fiction that I am a self-made person able to maneuver successfully through life by myself. At these times, it seems as though MYSELF is all I need in this world.

In reality, though, I know a different truth. I am not self-sufficient. And I am rarely in control of anything...even when I think I am. I am both dependent and interdependent.

• I am interdependent on others. I need others to help me think, to keep me honest and accountable, to balance me back into reality at times. I also need others to encourage me to stretch beyond what I might normally want to do.


• I am dependent on God. Without God's love and mercy, I would cease to be. It is God's grace that allows me to experience any success or accomplishments I might achieve. All of life is pure gift from God.

Psalm 119. 71-73 (referenced in RB80.7.54) speak of the good that comes from learning humility through life. It is in realizing my dependence on God and interdependence on others that I am able to practice righteous living in the world. It is through acknowledging that I do not have all the answers or that I am not the expert on everything that I learn to listen to the wisdom of God and others and to be open to diversity. Everyone does not always have to see things my way. In recognizing my dependence on God, I learn how to live the commandments authentically in my life.

What am I doing today to remain open to God's voice in my life?

Sr. Catherine, OSB