The virtue of humility is a difficult virtue to acquire. It strikes at the heart of our normal tendencies. We want to be loved, bragged on, talked about, and admired. Those all seems like positive happenings, so what’s so bad about them? Nothing is wrong with them, from a human perspective. But, humility is a heavenly quality, the true version of which is not found very often among us earth dwellers.
Efforts to become ‘humble’ can lead us to become less humble. If we try to be humble by not bragging on ourselves, it can lead us to urge & hint for others to brag on us, compounding the problem. Hinting & leading others to brag on us makes the desire actually grow by enlisting the aid of others to feed our egos for us. Hearing others say what we want to hear about ourselves can affirm us to continue our negative ways.
Having said all that there are some positive steps we can take that will help us in our attempts to practice the virtue of humility”
1 – Speak as little of ourselves as possible
2 – Mind our own business
3 – Stop trying to manage the affairs of others
4 – Restrain our curiosity about people’s motivation
5 – Accept corrections cheerfully
6 – Stop looking for mistakes in others
7 – Accept insults from others without trying to explain
8 – Accept being slighted, forgotten, and even disliked
9 – Be kind and gentle even under provocation
10- Yield in discussions even thought one is right
Humility is the quality where we accept ourselves as we are and stop trying to present ourselves as better than we are.
God sees us as we are, and loves us as we are, warts and all.
Taken from homily by Father Jim & others
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