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Our divine Master recommended his disciples to say with those in the parable: “We are useless servants; we have only done our duty” (Lk 17:10). Likewise, when you will have observed these counsels uncompromisingly, acknowledge yourself as a useless servant.  Be convinced; you were able to keep them, not because of your merits, but because of the infinite mercy of God; thank him wholeheartedly for such a great benefit. Ask him every day to keep this treasure in you until the last moment, when your soul, free from every tie which kept it attached to creatures, will be able to fly toward the bosom of its Creator to enjoy forever the glory prepared for the humble.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Against your interior opposition, remain firm against the difficulties you will experience in putting into practice what I have taught you.  Do not say, as the disciples did: “This is a hard teaching.  Who can accept it?” (Jn 6:61).  I assure you that the initial bitterness will soon turn into indescribable sweetness and heavenly consolations. Perseverance in these exercises will free you from anxiety of spirit; it will instill in your heart so much peace and tranquillity that you will have a foretaste of that eternal pleasure prepared by God in heaven for his faithful servants. If out of cowardice you stop using the means necessary to become humble, you will always feel oppressed, restless, unbearable to yourself and perhaps also to others, and what is worse, you will run the risk of being eternally lost.  At least, the door of perfection will be closed to you, since there is no door to enter it, other than humility. Arm yourself with holy daring so that no one will dishearten you. Look above and see Jesus Christ, laden with the Cross, teaching you the way of humility and patience; the way already trodden by many saints now reigning with him in heaven. Hear how he is urging you to follow his road and that of the true imitators of his virtues. See how the holy angels desire your salvation; notice how they implore you to take the narrow path, the only safe one, the only one leading to heaven, to those vacant seats of eternal glory emptied because of the pride of the rebellious angels. Don’t you hear the blessed proclaim throughout paradise that the way of humiliations and suffering is the only way to be happy in heaven?  See how they rejoice and congratulate you for those first desires you conceived to imitate them; hear how they beg you not to lose heart. Arm yourself with strength and courage to start this great work without delay.  Remember your baptismal oaths, and tremble at the thought of violating the sanctity of the promises you then made to God. These are Christ’s words:  “The kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent are taking it” (cf. Mt 11:12). Blessed are you one thousand times if, convinced of this, you resolve to practice humility in order to deserve the eternal happiness of paradise.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Frequent Confession and Communion will provide you with the most effective help to persevere in the practice of humility. In Confession, we reveal to a man like us the most secret and shameful miseries of our soul; it is the greatest act of humility that Jesus Christ demanded of his disciples. In Holy Communion, we receive in our heart God-made-man, debased for our love; it is a marvelous school of humility and a most powerful means of acquiring it. In it, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, meek and humble furnace of love and charity, will rest upon your heart. Then, ask him for humility with all the fervor of your soul; he will grant it to you. Go frequently to receive this love-worthy sacrament; as often as you go with the necessary dispositions, you will find the hidden manna, reserved only to those who seek it eagerly.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Have recourse to those saints eminent in humility:

            - to St Michael the Archangel, the first of the humble, as Lucifer was the first of the proud;

            - to St John the Baptist, who although he had reached such heights of sanctity as to be taken for the Messiah, felt so lowly as to deem himself unworthy to loosen Jesus’ sandal strap;

            - to St Paul, that privileged apostle, taken up to the third heaven.  Having heard the mysteries of the divinity, deemed himself the least of the apostles, not even worthy of the name (cf. 2 Cor 12:11);

            - to Pope St Gregory, who busied himself more to escape the supreme pontificate of the Church than the ambitious do to achieve honors;

            - to St Augustine, who at the zenith of glory, both, as holy bishop, and most profound doctor of the Catholic Church, left an immortal monument of his humility in his admirable books The Confessions and Retractions;

            - to St Alexius, who disguised as a beggar within the walls of his paternal home, preferred the insults and outrages of his own servants to all the honors and dignities which he could very easily have obtained;

            - to St Aloysius Gonzaga, a nobleman who gave up his title happily and chose a humble and austere life rather than the greatness of the world.

            Turn to so many other saints, who shine with the brightest light in the splendor of the Church because of their humility. Be convinced that these humble servants of God will intercede before him in heaven so that you may be among the imitators of their virtues.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Take Mary as your advocate and protectress to obtain from God the gift of humility.  St Bernard says that “Mary humbled herself more than any other creature; being the greatest of all, she made herself the least in the most profound abyss of her humility.”  Thus, she received the fullness of graces and was prepared to be the Mother of God.  Mary is also a tender and compassionate Mother; no one ever had recourse to her in vain.  Abandon yourself trustfully in her maternal bosom; implore her to obtain for you that virtue, so precious to her.  Do not fear that she will ignore you; no, Mary will ask it for you of that God who raises the humble and annihilates the proud.  Since Mary is all-powerful with her Son, she will undoubtedly be answered. Turn to her in all your crosses, in all your needs, in all your temptations.  May Mary be your support, may she be your consolation; but the first grace you must ask of her is holy humility.  Never keep still, never stop imploring her until she obtains it for you; never be afraid of troubling her too much.  Oh, how much she likes your persistent requests for the health of your soul and for being more acceptable to her divine Son. Press her to be always favorable to you; ask this in the name of her humility, by which she was elevated to the dignity of Mother of God, and in the name of her maternity, the indescribable fruit of her humility.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Do not think that you possess humility because you enjoy much tranquillity and peace in the midst of contempt and contradictions.  Very often pride is only lulled; it creates havoc again as soon as it is awakened. Your weapons should be self-knowledge, escaping from honors, and love for humiliations; never rid yourself of them, not even for an instant. Do not be afraid of losing this rich inheritance again; to humble oneself is the sure means to keep the precious gift of humility.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

The practice of Humility - 54

Let no day pass without reproaching yourself as your enemies would do, not only to soften these insults in advance, but also to keep yourself in self-abasement and contempt. If, in the midst of the storm of a violent temptation, you become impatient and complain interiorly for the way God is trying you, repress these motions in time and tell yourself: “I am a vile and miserable sinner, should I complain about this suffering?  Have I not deserved harsher punishments?  Don’t you know, my soul, that these humiliations and sufferings are like bread received from the charity of the Lord to bring you out of your misery and poverty?  Ah, if you refuse this God-given trial, you are not worthy of it and reject a rich treasure; it will be given to someone else who will make better use of it. “The Lord wants to number you among his friends, the disciples of Calvary; will you be a coward and flee from the combat?  Do you try to be crowned without having fought?  And how will you have the reward without having borne the burden of the day and of the heat?” These and similar reflections will re-enkindle your fervor and arouse in you the desire to accept suffering and humiliations, as our Lord did.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Recall in your imagination the insults which could come upon you; this will help you to grow in this virtue and to find humiliation sweet and familiar.  Study within yourself how to accept these imagined insults, in spite of your obstinate nature; they are tokens of God’s love for you and sure means of sanctification. Perhaps in so doing you will have to struggle, but be courageous and strong in the fight, until you feel firm and well determined to suffer everything joyfully for the love of Jesus Christ.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Consider also the examples left by the saints of the Old and New Testaments. Isaiah, such a virtuous and zealous prophet, deemed himself impure before God, and confessed that all his good deeds were like dirty rags (cf. Is 64:5). Daniel, whom God called a holy man, capable of arresting the divine wrath through his prayers, spoke to God with the humility of a sinner covered with confusion and shame. St Dominic, a miracle of innocence and holiness, had reached such a degree of self-contempt that he thought he drew curses from heaven upon the cities which he had to pass through. Thus, before entering a city, he would kneel down, put his face toward the ground, and say with tears: “I implore you, O Lord, have compassion on me, do not look at my sins, and do not punish this city as your just vengeance for keeping me within its walls.” St Francis, who deserved to be an image of Jesus Crucified for the purity of his life, believed himself to be the worst sinner on earth; this thought was so firmly fixed in his spirit that no one could have removed it. He used to say that, had God granted all those graces to the lowest of men, that man would have made better use of them and would not have been so ungrateful. Several other saints believed themselves unworthy of the food they took, of the air they breathed, of the garments they wore. Others regarded it as a great miracle of the divine mercy to be tolerated on earth, instead of being thrown into hell.  Still others were surprised that men could bear them and that all creatures would not get together to exterminate and annihilate them.  All the saints abhorred distinction, praises and honors, and because of the great contempt that they had for themselves, they longed for nothing other than humiliations and dishonor. Are you perhaps holier than they?  Why don’t you consider yourself — after their example — unworthy and vile?  Why don’t you seek — as they did — the simple joy of holy humility?

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Another strong reason to make you practice the virtue of humility is the example of our divine Savior; he must be your model always.  He told us: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).  And St Bernard notes: “What pride cannot be crushed by the humility of the divine Master?” Christ is the only one who really humiliated and abased himself; we do not lower ourselves at all, we merely occupy the place which is due us. Vile creatures guilty of a thousand crimes, we have a right only to pain and the void, but our Savior Jesus Christ abased himself way below the heights befitting him. He is the Almighty God, the Immortal and Eternal Being, the supreme Arbiter of everything, yet he became man, weak, vulnerable, mortal and obedient until death. He lowered himself below his creatures; he who is the joy and beatitude of the angels and saints in heaven willed to be the Man of Sorrows and took upon himself the miseries of mankind; the uncreated Wisdom and the wellspring of all knowledge who was burdened with the shame and infamy of a fool; the Holy of Holies, holiness itself, went by as a sinner and a criminal; he whom the countless hosts of the blessed worship in heaven willed to die on a cross; the supreme Goodness bore all kinds of temporal miseries. After this example of humility, what shall we do, ashes and dust that we are? Shall we complain of any little humiliation, miserable sinners that we are?

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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A patient who strongly desires his recovery removes from himself whatever can delay it; he takes even the best food cautiously, examining at almost every mouthful whether it does him good or not.  Likewise, if you wholeheartedly desire to recover from the deadly sickness of pride, if you are really eager to grow in humility, you must always be on your guard, vigilant of what you say or do. Thus, think before every action whether it leads you to humility or not, and then, do it immediately or reject it completely. 

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Your filial fear of displeasing God must always be accompanied by a supplication, an appeal to his compassion: that he may prevent you from falling, that he may impede such disaster.  The saints recommended this holy groan of the heart; it leads us to be vigilant in all our actions, to meditate on the divine truths and despise temporal things, to do mental prayer, and to keep oneself far from all that is not God. This filial fear of the Lord is the source of true humility and detachment; foster it, and ask for it continually.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Have for your neighbor a heart of charity and a perennial fountain of affection and sweetness; with holy zeal, try to help him in everything, but do always so to please the Lord.  Examine the motive of your actions to discover the snares of vanity and self-love.  Refer to God alone all the good you do; if you keep a good deed hidden and secret, known only to God, it will reap a priceless profit.  If by your negligence men know it, it will lose almost all its value, as does a good fruit which the birds have started to eat.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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If you go to holy Communion with a heart burning with divine love, you must also bring a spirit penetrated with sentiments of true humility.  How could you not be astonished contemplating that God—infinitely pure and holy — supplies such a sign of love for such a miserable creature as you are; he gives himself to you as food.  Acknowledge the depth of your unworthiness; do approach that love-worthy sanctity with the greatest reverence; and when this amiable Lord — who is all charity — caresses you, sharing with you his indescribable sweetness, do not lessen the respect due to his infinite Majesty.  Always keep yourself in your place — in submission, in humility, in your nothingness.The realization of your poverty and misery must not close up your heart or remove from you that holy confidence you must have at this holy banquet; rather, it must make you grow in love for God, who humbles himself making himself the nour ishment of your soul.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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If, on the other hand, the tasks entrusted to you, do not go well, there is much to fear that the failure is due to your ineptitude and negligence. Your self-love and pride — hostile to any humiliation — would lay the blame upon others or, at least, would lessen your guilt. Do not follow these vicious inclinations; conscientiously examine your conduct; find your failure; acknowledge your guilt before God, and accept the humiliation as a deserved punishment. If, however, your conscience does not accuse you of any guilt, adore the divine disposition even in this case; reflect that perhaps your past sins and an excessive self-confidence have removed the heavenly blessing from your labors.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Give all the glory to God for the good results of the task entrusted to you; attribute to yourself only the possible failures; these alone are exclusively yours.  Every good is from God; glory and gratitude must be given to him.  Impress this truth so deeply on your spirit as never to forget it. Anyone else, so much helped by the divine grace as you have been, would have performed much better and would not have had so many flaws.  Reject the praise given to you for success; this is not due to such a vile instrument as yourself, but to the mighty and eternal Maker.  He can, if he wants, strike a rock with a staff and make water spring from it, or use a bit of mud to give sight to the blind and perform endless miracles.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Go to your prayer aware of your unworthiness and vileness, with holy awe for the presence of the supreme Majesty to whom you dare to speak to: “Shall I be so bold as to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes” (Gen 18:27). If you receive any extraordinary favor, consider yourself unworthy of it; do not be vain, attributing it to your merits; God granted it to you out of generosity and compassion. If you do not receive any singular gift, do not feel at all disgruntled; rather, reflect on how much you still have to do to deserve it; consider how good and patient is God only to bear you at his feet, like a beggar crouching for hours at the door of the rich man to obtain a little alms, the relief of his misery.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Without God, you are unable to do anything good; you would stumble at any step; the least temptation would overcome you.  Thus, acknowledge your weakness and impotence to do good; remember that you need God’s help for every little action you perform. With these thoughts, keep yourself inseparably united to God, as a child who, not knowing any other refuge, clings to his mother’s bosom.  Repeat with the royal prophet: “Were not the Lord my help, I would soon dwell in the silence of death” (Ps 94:17); “Look toward me, and have pity on me, for I am alone and afflicted” (Ps 25:16); and, “Hasten, God, to rescue me; O Lord, come quickly to help me” (Ps 70:1).  Finally, thank God always with all your heart; thank him above all for the protection he gives you; and ask him that you may never lack the help which he alone can give.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

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Abandon yourself completely in the hands of God; follow the disposition of his loving providence, as a tender child abandons himself into the arms of his beloved father. Let God do whatever he wishes, without being troubled and disturbed for whatever may happen to you. Accept with joy, trust, and respect, everything that comes from him.  Acting otherwise would be to distrust him, an ingratitude toward the goodness of his Heart. Humility shelters us far beneath the infinite being of God and shows us that God is our strength and consolation.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)

The practice of Humility - 41

Nothing better helps one to grow spiritually than being warned about his own defects; thus, it is most convenient and necessary to encourage those who sometimes have given you this charitable service to continue doing so on any occasion.  Receive their advice with joy and gratitude, and make it a duty to put this advice into practice, not only for the sake of correcting yourself, but also to show these friends that their concern has not been useless and that you appreciate their thoughtfulness. Even when he rectifies, the proud person does not want to show that he followed the advice received; rather, he displays an attitude of contempt towards all.  The truly humble, on the contrary, is content submitting himself to everyone for the love of God; he considers the wise advice received as coming from God himself, regardless of the instrument used.

J. Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII)