True Humility

The sixth step of humility is that a monk is content with the lowest and most menial treatment, and regards himself as a poor and worthless workman in whatever task he is given, saying to himself with the Prophet: I am insignificant and ignorant, no better than a beast before you, yet I am with you always (Ps 72[73]:22-23). RB80.7.49-50

Humility deals with the truth. It is the awareness of who I am without much pretense. It is an acknowledgement that in the great scheme of things I fall somewhere in the middle of the pile. I am not the best or the worst, the first or the last. In a sense, I am with everyone else in the middle somewhere...and that is really okay. My identity and worth is not necessarily attached to being #1 all of the time. It is actually freeing to just be with everyone else.

This is not a vote for mediocrity. It is just an awareness that it is only through God's grace that I possess skills, talents, and life. It is God's gift and constant Presence that allow me to be successful in my endeavors. All of my accomplishments are actually due to God's love and mercy.

The passage from Psalm 72[73] which concludes today's reading recalls the reality of God's constant presence and guidance in daily life. In the RSV Bible, verse 23 speaks not only of God's presence but also that God holds me by the hand--in a sense, leading me along the paths of life. This thought is comforting since it seems to say that if I am willing to let God lead me through life (rather than fight for an illusion of control) God will be there--not just sometimes but all of the time. What more could I ask for?

May I continue to grow in my awareness of God's presence in my daily life.

Sr. Catherine, OSB