"Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 14:11
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:5-8).
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:9-11).
Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love. (Eph 4:1-2)
Quote from Saints:
If I love Jesus, I ought to resemble Him; If I love Jesus, I ought to love what He loves, what He does, what He prefers to all else: humility. (St. Peter Eymard).
The first step of humility is unhesitating obedience, which comes naturally to those who cherish Christ above all. (St. Benedict - Rule of St. Benedict 5:1-2)
Neither logic or reflection will help us any; thinking nice thoughts about it or taking heroic resolutions would lead us to believe we had already acquired it, and we would content ourselves with that. We must examine our actions to see if we not sought our own interest in them. Let us repeat often, " Jesus, so humble of heart, make our hearts like unto thine" (St. Peter Eymard).
Jesus invited us to be like Him, humble of heart. But what is humility of the heart? It consists in receiving humiliations from God with a submissive love, in accepting one's state of life and one's duties whatever they are, and in not being ashamed of one's condition (St. Peter Eymard).
If we possessed every virtue, but lacked humility, those virtues would be without root and would not last (St. Vincent de Paul).
Remember that Jesus Christ, referring to the humility of the publican, said that his prayer was heard. If this was said of a man whose life was evil, what may we not hope for if we are really humble? (St. Vincent de Paul)
However great the work that God may achieve by an individual, he must not indulge in self-satisfaction. He ought rather to be all the more humbled, seeing himself merely as a tool which God has made use of. (St. Vincent de Paul)
Humility is the safeguard of chastity. In the matter of purity, there is no greater danger than not fearing danger. When a person puts himself in an occasion of sin, saying, " I shall not fall", it is almost an infallible sign that he will fall, and with great injury to his soul. We must specifically and regularly pray for God's assistance and not rely on our own strength (St. Phillip Neri).
Humility is the only thing that no devil can imitate. If pride made demons out of angels, there is no doubt that humility could make angels out of demons. (St John Climacus)
In prosperity, give thanks to God with humility and fear lest by pride you abuse God's benefits and so offend him (St. Louis IX).
Reflections:
Humility should be a way of life for us. Jesus is very clear throughout the Gospels that there is little or no place for the arrogant in heaven. The path to eternal life is strewn with the wreckages of lives of pride and self-sufficiency. Dependency upon God does not mean a demeaning existence — it simply means that we recognize that without God we are nothing and with Him we have everything. (Kerygma)
