This post is republished from Fr. Ron Ramson, C.M.’s, regular column in the Perryville Republic Monitor.
Do you remember the song by Mac Davis, “It’s Hard to Be Humble, when you’re perfect in every way”? Does that look like humility to you? Davis goes on to sing, “To know me is to love me.” Where is the humility?
The opposite of humble is pride and this song is more about pride than humility! He is right about one thing; it IS sometimes hard to be humble. Jesus teaches us to be humble.
The problem is that humility is heard more in church than anywhere else. We don’t hear of it in business, on the baseball diamond, on the basketball court, on the football field, or in school.
Who wants to be humble? I do; do you?
Humility is a virtue. It is a sign of personal strength and even freedom.
Look at Jesus, at what he did and how he lived when he took on our human nature. Look at John the Baptist. When Jesus began his public ministry, he said, “He must increase, I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
True humility gives us the courage to ask for help. Remember the opposite of humility is pride! St. Gregory the Great called it the queen of vices.
The late Pope Francis said, “Pride ruins human relationships and poisons the feeling of fraternity that should unite us.”
The church has powerful examples of humility. One is St. Vincent de Paul. He chose humility as one of the five virtues for the Vincentian Community he founded. Although St. Vincent’s favorite virtue was simplicity, humility was a close second!
Jesus teaches us humility throughout his entire life. And he exhorts us to practice the same virtue in our lives. Jesus says, “Be meek and humble of heart.”
As I noted, a great example of humility was St. John the Baptist—the way he dressed, the way he lived, the way he ate, and the way he preached with simplicity of words. I’ve always thought of him as an example for all of us. If we look at any of the saints, men and women, humility stands out in all their lives. They avoided pride like the plague!
It is hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way, but who is perfect in every way? Is anybody? No one that I know, certainly not me!
I look to Jesus first and foremost and pray for greater humility in my life. I invite you to do the same.