“As salt is needed for all kinds of food, humility is needed for all kinds of virtues.” ~ St. Isaac the Syrian

The virtue of the month is: Humility.

The kryptonite of Satan, the sword of saints, the antivirus of humanity.

Pride is the root of all evil and humility is the beginning of all good; therefore, it’s very fitting to be the first “Virtue of the month.” Maybe should be virtue of the year.

What is humility?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes it as the virtue by which a Christian acknowledges that God is the author of all good. Humility avoids inordinate ambition or pride, and provides the foundation for turning to God in prayer.

Pretty important, eh?

“The three most important virtues are: Humility, Humility, and Humility.” ~ St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Humility really is one of the most underrepresented virtues in our times, which is pretty obvious given it’s the foundation of any virtue. We are consumed in self these days. It truly is all about us, whether it be social media, materialism, the internet. It’s about showcasing ourselves and our accomplishments, satisfying our own senses, making sure we’re comfortable. We can very easily get caught up in our personal bubble and not even realize how prideful and self-serving we really are.

As Catholics, we can often inflate our own ego by looking at the world around us and ponder on how better we are than everyone us, because we have truth and practice morality. We start to create a holier-than-thou attitude and begin to completely dismiss non-believers.

That’s not what we’re called to do.

“Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11:2

God asks us to lower ourselves below all others. When witnessing the sins of others, think about our own offenses. Think of the wrong we have committed, the mistakes we make, the things we don’t do but know we should, than dare to the throw the first stone.

We will not win over souls by looking down upon them. Remember who you are. Remember who you serve. Contemplate on the magnitude of difference between you and your Creator. And who are we kidding, really? God literally created us. Without God, we can’t do anything. Without God, we would be nothing. We need help, a lot of it, and it takes humility to realize, understand, and ask for it continually.

And no one even likes a conceited and prideful individual. An arrogant man is not wise, because a truly wise person would realize how much he doesn’t know. It’s the humble ones that truly speak the truth. It’s those who have spent time meditating on something other than themselves, who are truly humble enough to actually understand their own person. Those are the wise ones. It’s the people that laugh at themselves that everyone gravitates to. It’s the ones that make themselves the joke rather than others.

“Pride makes us artificial; humility makes us real.” ~ Thomas Merton

Humility is an almost non-existent virtue, but it is oh-so-needed in today’s culture. It starts with us. It starts in your own heart. And if we’re being honest, we have a long ways to go. To truly serve God, to truly love Him, we must realize our own dependence upon Him. Humility is a life-long struggle, but it is required to enter the gates of heaven.

WAY TO PRACTICE:

Gossip is a favorite these days. Look at what so and so did. Look at what they said. Look at what they wore. It makes headlines. They sell entire magazines full of it. We have become so accustomed to it.

Let’s dig ourselves out of pride. Before attacking someone’s else’s character, think of all the stupid things we’ve done, all the faults we have, all the sins we have committed. Place a special emphasis on gossip and detraction this month. Remember who you are.

SAINT TO EMULATE:

St. Joseph. He is the silent saint, humble and obedient, a simple carpenter. He raised the Son of God and was husband to the Blessed Virgin Mary, yet we know little about him. He knew who the spotlight was on, he knew his place, accepted it, perfected it, and ultimately reunited with his son in heaven because of it.

“Humility is first, second, and third in Christianity.” ~ St. Augustine