Degrees of Humility
Like any other virtue, humility grows with God’s grace and our effort. St Benedict speaks of twelve degrees of humility.#1 “The way is rough,” he says, “but it leads us to the heights of Divine Love.”
The following list shows the practice of humility, from its most basic form to its most perfect degree: the personal surrender to God’s Will in everything that happens to us. Obedience to God’s Will in all things is an expression of our dependence on God.
Humility in external actions
In bodily gestures:
1. Modesty of behavior. Humility is manifested in one’s actions, such as in guarding one’s eyes. The proud person, wanting to know everything about everybody, falls prey to undue curiosity.
2. Moderation in expressing joy; not to frivolously engage in wild, boisterous laughter. The revelry of the proud is a shrill kind of humor that thrives on the defects of others–it lays itself and its practitioner open to ridicule.
In speech
3. Reserve in conversation; to speak few but sensible words; not to be loud of voice. The proud person is shallow in his conversation because of lack of depth in prayer, in thoughts, and in deeds.
4. Silence; to maintain silence until one is asked to speak; and then, to avoid boasting. There is a lot of vanity in one’s eagerness to talk.
In deeds
5. To curb one’s desire to stand out; to be accommodating and to compromise in things open to personal opinion; to adapt oneself to legitimate customs while living with others; not to be an exception. One should not seek to be in the foreground, or to be conspicuous.
Humility in the awareness of one’s weaknesses and shortcomings
6. To recognize oneself as one among the wretched and miserable on account of one’s hidden faults; this is the opposite of arrogance. The humble person does not unduly impose his will on his subordinates.
7. To recognize oneself to be –in a sense– as one among the most worthless and useless for all purposes; one’s sufficiency comes from God. A humble person accepts menial tasks and a lower status; he accepts deprivation when it comes.
8. Sincerity. To admit and confess one’s sins. The humble person does not hide his defects at Confession or in spiritual direction. In his dealings with friends and colleagues, he readily admits his mistakes.
Humility in one’s desire for achievements
9. To live the virtues of patience and obedience by being ready to undertake hard and unattractive tasks. A humble person is a team worker.
10. To willingly accept instructions from a superior, and to obey out of love of God. Faith helps in seeing God acting through one’s superior.
11. Not to indulge oneself in fulfilling one’s own likings and inclinations.
The core of humility
12. To have a filial fear of the Lord and to be always mindful of his commandments; it leads one to accept and love God’s Will in everything and, thus, to perfect adoration of God.
FOOTNOTE:
1. Regula; cf. St Thomas of Aquinas, S. Th., II-II, q. 161.
The following list shows the practice of humility, from its most basic form to its most perfect degree: the personal surrender to God’s Will in everything that happens to us. Obedience to God’s Will in all things is an expression of our dependence on God.
Humility in external actions
In bodily gestures:
1. Modesty of behavior. Humility is manifested in one’s actions, such as in guarding one’s eyes. The proud person, wanting to know everything about everybody, falls prey to undue curiosity.
2. Moderation in expressing joy; not to frivolously engage in wild, boisterous laughter. The revelry of the proud is a shrill kind of humor that thrives on the defects of others–it lays itself and its practitioner open to ridicule.
In speech
3. Reserve in conversation; to speak few but sensible words; not to be loud of voice. The proud person is shallow in his conversation because of lack of depth in prayer, in thoughts, and in deeds.
4. Silence; to maintain silence until one is asked to speak; and then, to avoid boasting. There is a lot of vanity in one’s eagerness to talk.
In deeds
5. To curb one’s desire to stand out; to be accommodating and to compromise in things open to personal opinion; to adapt oneself to legitimate customs while living with others; not to be an exception. One should not seek to be in the foreground, or to be conspicuous.
Humility in the awareness of one’s weaknesses and shortcomings
6. To recognize oneself as one among the wretched and miserable on account of one’s hidden faults; this is the opposite of arrogance. The humble person does not unduly impose his will on his subordinates.
7. To recognize oneself to be –in a sense– as one among the most worthless and useless for all purposes; one’s sufficiency comes from God. A humble person accepts menial tasks and a lower status; he accepts deprivation when it comes.
8. Sincerity. To admit and confess one’s sins. The humble person does not hide his defects at Confession or in spiritual direction. In his dealings with friends and colleagues, he readily admits his mistakes.
Humility in one’s desire for achievements
9. To live the virtues of patience and obedience by being ready to undertake hard and unattractive tasks. A humble person is a team worker.
10. To willingly accept instructions from a superior, and to obey out of love of God. Faith helps in seeing God acting through one’s superior.
11. Not to indulge oneself in fulfilling one’s own likings and inclinations.
The core of humility
12. To have a filial fear of the Lord and to be always mindful of his commandments; it leads one to accept and love God’s Will in everything and, thus, to perfect adoration of God.
FOOTNOTE:
1. Regula; cf. St Thomas of Aquinas, S. Th., II-II, q. 161.