St John M. Vianney, Priest of Ars: Homily On Humility
John Vianney was born in 1786 near Lyons in France. Ordained priest, he was parish priest of Ars for nearly 42 years. His zeal, and mortifications transformed the population. On certain days he spent up to sixteen hours in his confessional. He died in 1859.
Every one that exalts himself shall be humbled; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted (Luke 18:14).
The Pharisee and the Publican
Could our Redeemer, my dear brethren, have pointed out to us more clearly than in these words the necessity of humbling ourselves? He is inviting us to consider ourselves of little value, in our thoughts, words, and actions, so that we might be exalted to sing the praises of God for all eternity.
Being in the company of Pharisees, Jesus noticed that many of them boasted of their good deeds, and despised others. He told them this parable: “Two men went up into the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, the other a publican. The Pharisee stood proudly erect, and said this prayer to himself: `O God, I thank you that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, and particularly that I am not like this publican here. I fast twice a week, and pay tithes on all I get’ (Lk 18:10-12).”
Observe that this prayer was all affected with vanity and pride. The Pharisee did not come to ask God his grace, but to praise himself, and to despise those who really were praying.
The publican, on the other hand, stood some distance away from the altar, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven. He struck his breast, and said: “My God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” “This man, I tell you,” Jesus Christ added, “went home justified, the other did not.” The publican had his sins forgiven; the Pharisee, with all his good deeds, went home more in sin than when he left.
Although he was a sinner, the publican’s humility was more pleasing to God than all the superficial good works of the proud Pharisee. Jesus Christ demonstrates with this example that every one who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.
Yes, dear brethren, the only way leading to glory in the next life is humility. Without humility, that lovely and rare virtue, you will be as unlikely to reach heaven as without Baptism. Let us, therefore, today, dear brethren, understand the necessity of humbling ourselves; learn the motives which should encourage us to do so. Thus, consider that:
(a) It is absolutely necessary for us to be humble if we wish to please God by our actions, and be rewarded in the next life.
(b) We need to practice humility toward God, and toward ourselves.
We Need To Be Humble
Humility is as necessary as Baptism; as necessary as the Sacrament of Penance after mortal sin. It gives such great merit to all our actions, and adorns so abundantly all our good works. Before making you understand how much we need this beautiful virtue, I must tell you what this amiable virtue is.
St Anthony practiced humility in such an extraordinary manner; he renounced wealth, friends, parents, and relations to spend his life in the desert with wild beasts making atonement for his sins. This great saint tells us that humility is to know ourselves, not to think too much of ourselves, and—finally—not to take pleasure when we are praised.
God Loves the Humble
I say that it is absolutely necessary for us to be humble if we wish to please God by our actions, and be rewarded in heaven. Jesus Christ himself has told us that we can as little expect to gain heaven without humility, as without Baptism. St Augustine tells us: “If you ask me which is the first virtue for a Christian, I will tell you that it is humility. If you ask me again which is the second, I will say to you it is humility. If you again ask me which is the third, I will still say that it is humility, and as often as you ask me this question, I shall always give you the same answer.”
If pride produces every sin, we can just as well say that humility produces every virtue. With humility you have the means to please God and save your soul; without humility all the other virtues will be of no avail.
Like Children
We read in the Gospel that some mothers brought their children to Jesus Christ, for him to bless them. The apostles wanted to turn the children away, but our Lord would not permit this. He told them: “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus embraced them, and gave them his blessing.
Why did the divine Redeemer receive the children so lovingly? Because children are simple, humble, and without guile. If, therefore, my dear brethren, we desire to be received kindly by Jesus Christ, we too, must be simple, and humble in everything we do.
The Blessed Virgin’s Humility
St Bernard tells us, “The eternal Father looked at the Blessed Virgin with delight on account of her humility. Also by her humility, Mary conceived the Son of God. If the Blessed Virgin is the Queen of angels, she is also the Queen of the humble.”
St Teresa once asked our Lord why the Holy Spirit revealed himself and talked to the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament, but does not do so any longer. Our Lord answered her that this happened because they were simpler and humbler; now men are full of pride and vanity. God does not interact with them. He does not love them as he loved the good patriarchs and prophets who were simple and humble.
St Augustine tells us: “If you were profoundly humble, and acknowledged that you are nothing, and deserve nothing, God would grant you abundant graces. But when you exalt yourselves, and think so much of yourselves, he withdraws himself from you, and abandons you to your misery.”
Humility and the Beatitudes
To show that humility is the most beautiful, and precious of all virtues, our Lord began his beatitudes with humility, by saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them belongs the kingdom of heaven.” St Augustine tells us that the poor in spirit are those who have humility as their only possession.
The prophet Isaiah asked God: “Lord, upon whom does your Holy Spirit descend? Is it perhaps upon those who bear a great name in this world, and upon the proud?” “No,” said the Lord, “but upon those that are humble of heart.”
Humility, Basis for Friendship
Humility renders us not only pleasing to God, but also to men. Everyone likes a humble person; everyone is glad to be in his or her company. Children are loved because they are simple and humble.
A humble person yields in all things, never contradicts anyone, or causes trouble to anybody. He is always satisfied, and tries to pass unnoticed from the eyes of the world. Proud persons are disliked as much as humble persons are liked; the latter make no ostentation; everyone respects and loves them. All desire the company of those who possess this beautiful quality.
Humility, the Foundation of All Other Virtues
I say that humility is the foundation of all other virtues. If we want to serve God faithfully, and save our soul, we should begin to practice this virtue fully and with conviction. Without humility our piety will resemble straws planted on a field; nothing grows, the barren stalks will be blown down by the first gust of wind.
Yes, dear brethren, the Evil Spirit is not afraid of our piety if we do not put humility as its foundation. The devil knows well that he can destroy that piety if he wants to.
It is said of St Anthony that once God showed him the world full of snares, set by the Evil One to entrap men into sin. He was surprised and scared, and he said to God: “O Lord, who will be able to avoid so many snares?” A voice answered him: “Anthony, those who are humble; because God grants his grace to the humble, so that they may resist temptation. He allows the Evil One to ridicule the proud, who fall into sin at the first chance. On the other hand, the devil does not dare to attack those who are humble.”
When we are tempted, dear brethren, let us remain protected under the shelter of humility; we shall discover that the Evil Spirit has very little power over us.
What Is Humility?
Do you want to know what is humility? Listen, I will tell you in the first place that there are two kinds of humility: exterior and interior humility. The following are signs of exterior humility:
- Not to praise oneself, not to talk of one’s talents and cleverness.
- To keep quiet about the good deeds one has done; such as almsgiving, prayers, works of penance, the services rendered to the neighbor, the interior graces granted by God.
- Not to take pleasure in being praised. To divert the conversation from the success one has achieved, attributing it to God, or by showing that this topic is unpleasant to us.
- To avoid arguments. To yield in everything that is not a sin. Not to think that one is always right. If anyone thinks he is right, he should also think that he is frequently mistaken. One should never seek to have the last word; this is an evidence of having a very proud spirit.
- Never to be sad when one seems to be despised. Not to complain when one is under this impression. Complaining would be a proof of having no humility. A humble person thinks he could never be treated as bad as he deserves on account of his sins. One should thank God, as King David did when he was cursed by Shimei (2 Sam 16:5-14). “Let him curse on if the Lord has told him to,” David told his officers, “perhaps the Lord will look on my wretchedness and repay me with good for this curse today.” He thought he deserved the insults as punishment for his sins.
- Never to excuse one’s faults, when one has done anything deserving censure. Even when one is falsely accused—unless the honor of God is at stake—one should rather suffer in silence.
Interior Humility
You see here, dear brethren, what is exterior humility. Now, what is interior humility? These are the signs of interior humility:
- To have a poor opinion of oneself; never to approve of oneself at heart when one has done anything well, but to look upon oneself as unworthy and incapable of bringing a good deed to a successful completion without the help of God.
- Not to mind other people knowing one’s faults, this is an occasion to improve one’s life.
- To be happy if others surpass us in wealth, in intelligence, in virtue, and in other good qualities. One should be subject to and accept the opinion of those in authority, when this is not a sin.
This, my dear brethren, is to possess Christian humility, a virtue which renders us so pleasing to God, and so amiable to man. Look well now whether you have it or not. And if you don’t have it, spare no pains—if you want to be saved—to implore it of God, until you obtain it. Without humility one can not enter heaven.
Motives To Be Humble
And why should we practice humility? Dear brethren, a Christian who knows himself thoroughly should feel urged to humble himself for more than one reason. I will name three: the consideration of God’s glory, the example of Jesus Christ, and our own wretchedness.
God’s Glory
Who can contemplate the immensity of God, without humbling himself into the dust? God, created heaven and earth out of nothing; with one word he could turn heaven and earth into nothing again. Think: God is so great; his power is boundless; God is filled with every perfection. Consider: God and his never‑ending eternity; his great justice; his providence, by which he rules everything so wisely, and looks after everything with such care; and we a mere nothing!
The Example of Jesus Christ
The example of Jesus Christ should make us humble. St Augustine says: “When I see that God led a life filled with abasement and ignominy, from his Incarnation up to the Cross, can I be afraid of humbling myself? God seeks lowliness; I, a worm, should exalt myself? My God, destroy my pride, which separates me so much from you!”
Our Own Wretchedness
The third motive, dear brethren, which should lead us to be humble is our own wretchedness. We merely have to look at our own selves closely, and we shall find innumerable reasons to humble ourselves.
“Ah,” the holy Job tells us, “what are we? Dust, before our birth; miserable, when we come into the world; waste, when we leave it. Born of a woman, we live only a short time. Though life is short, we weep a great deal. And how soon are we snatched away by death!”
Judge, then, if we have the slightest occasion to exalt ourselves. Whoever has the presumption to think that he is eminent, is a fool who has never known himself. When we really know ourselves we can only despise ourselves.”
Our Talents
We have no less reason to humble ourselves if we consider the grace of God in us. The few gifts and talents we have, all come from the generous hand of the Lord. He bestows them to whom and when he likes. We cannot, therefore, boast of them.
The Hope of Heaven
We must be humble at the sight of the glory and blessedness which await us in the next life; for of ourselves we do not deserve anything. O how loving is God who gives us the hope of such benefits; we who have nothing, and deserve nothing.
What, then, should we conclude from this, dear brethren? Each day, we should ask God for humility, with our whole hearts. We should ask him for the grace to know that we are nothing of ourselves, and that our corporal and spiritual well-being depends on him alone.
Let us, therefore, practice humility as much as we can. There is no virtue more pleasing to God than that of humility. If we possess it, we shall possess all the other virtues. Even if we are great sinners, we can be sure that, if we are humble, God will forgive us.
Yes, dear brethren, let us practice this beautiful virtue. It will unite us to God; it will let us live at peace with our neighbors; it will make the cross less heavy; it will give us the blessed hope of seeing God in heaven. He, himself, tells us this: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall see God!” This it is that I wish you all. Amen.
Every one that exalts himself shall be humbled; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted (Luke 18:14).
The Pharisee and the Publican
Could our Redeemer, my dear brethren, have pointed out to us more clearly than in these words the necessity of humbling ourselves? He is inviting us to consider ourselves of little value, in our thoughts, words, and actions, so that we might be exalted to sing the praises of God for all eternity.
Being in the company of Pharisees, Jesus noticed that many of them boasted of their good deeds, and despised others. He told them this parable: “Two men went up into the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, the other a publican. The Pharisee stood proudly erect, and said this prayer to himself: `O God, I thank you that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, and particularly that I am not like this publican here. I fast twice a week, and pay tithes on all I get’ (Lk 18:10-12).”
Observe that this prayer was all affected with vanity and pride. The Pharisee did not come to ask God his grace, but to praise himself, and to despise those who really were praying.
The publican, on the other hand, stood some distance away from the altar, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven. He struck his breast, and said: “My God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” “This man, I tell you,” Jesus Christ added, “went home justified, the other did not.” The publican had his sins forgiven; the Pharisee, with all his good deeds, went home more in sin than when he left.
Although he was a sinner, the publican’s humility was more pleasing to God than all the superficial good works of the proud Pharisee. Jesus Christ demonstrates with this example that every one who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.
Yes, dear brethren, the only way leading to glory in the next life is humility. Without humility, that lovely and rare virtue, you will be as unlikely to reach heaven as without Baptism. Let us, therefore, today, dear brethren, understand the necessity of humbling ourselves; learn the motives which should encourage us to do so. Thus, consider that:
(a) It is absolutely necessary for us to be humble if we wish to please God by our actions, and be rewarded in the next life.
(b) We need to practice humility toward God, and toward ourselves.
We Need To Be Humble
Humility is as necessary as Baptism; as necessary as the Sacrament of Penance after mortal sin. It gives such great merit to all our actions, and adorns so abundantly all our good works. Before making you understand how much we need this beautiful virtue, I must tell you what this amiable virtue is.
St Anthony practiced humility in such an extraordinary manner; he renounced wealth, friends, parents, and relations to spend his life in the desert with wild beasts making atonement for his sins. This great saint tells us that humility is to know ourselves, not to think too much of ourselves, and—finally—not to take pleasure when we are praised.
God Loves the Humble
I say that it is absolutely necessary for us to be humble if we wish to please God by our actions, and be rewarded in heaven. Jesus Christ himself has told us that we can as little expect to gain heaven without humility, as without Baptism. St Augustine tells us: “If you ask me which is the first virtue for a Christian, I will tell you that it is humility. If you ask me again which is the second, I will say to you it is humility. If you again ask me which is the third, I will still say that it is humility, and as often as you ask me this question, I shall always give you the same answer.”
If pride produces every sin, we can just as well say that humility produces every virtue. With humility you have the means to please God and save your soul; without humility all the other virtues will be of no avail.
Like Children
We read in the Gospel that some mothers brought their children to Jesus Christ, for him to bless them. The apostles wanted to turn the children away, but our Lord would not permit this. He told them: “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus embraced them, and gave them his blessing.
Why did the divine Redeemer receive the children so lovingly? Because children are simple, humble, and without guile. If, therefore, my dear brethren, we desire to be received kindly by Jesus Christ, we too, must be simple, and humble in everything we do.
The Blessed Virgin’s Humility
St Bernard tells us, “The eternal Father looked at the Blessed Virgin with delight on account of her humility. Also by her humility, Mary conceived the Son of God. If the Blessed Virgin is the Queen of angels, she is also the Queen of the humble.”
St Teresa once asked our Lord why the Holy Spirit revealed himself and talked to the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament, but does not do so any longer. Our Lord answered her that this happened because they were simpler and humbler; now men are full of pride and vanity. God does not interact with them. He does not love them as he loved the good patriarchs and prophets who were simple and humble.
St Augustine tells us: “If you were profoundly humble, and acknowledged that you are nothing, and deserve nothing, God would grant you abundant graces. But when you exalt yourselves, and think so much of yourselves, he withdraws himself from you, and abandons you to your misery.”
Humility and the Beatitudes
To show that humility is the most beautiful, and precious of all virtues, our Lord began his beatitudes with humility, by saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them belongs the kingdom of heaven.” St Augustine tells us that the poor in spirit are those who have humility as their only possession.
The prophet Isaiah asked God: “Lord, upon whom does your Holy Spirit descend? Is it perhaps upon those who bear a great name in this world, and upon the proud?” “No,” said the Lord, “but upon those that are humble of heart.”
Humility, Basis for Friendship
Humility renders us not only pleasing to God, but also to men. Everyone likes a humble person; everyone is glad to be in his or her company. Children are loved because they are simple and humble.
A humble person yields in all things, never contradicts anyone, or causes trouble to anybody. He is always satisfied, and tries to pass unnoticed from the eyes of the world. Proud persons are disliked as much as humble persons are liked; the latter make no ostentation; everyone respects and loves them. All desire the company of those who possess this beautiful quality.
Humility, the Foundation of All Other Virtues
I say that humility is the foundation of all other virtues. If we want to serve God faithfully, and save our soul, we should begin to practice this virtue fully and with conviction. Without humility our piety will resemble straws planted on a field; nothing grows, the barren stalks will be blown down by the first gust of wind.
Yes, dear brethren, the Evil Spirit is not afraid of our piety if we do not put humility as its foundation. The devil knows well that he can destroy that piety if he wants to.
It is said of St Anthony that once God showed him the world full of snares, set by the Evil One to entrap men into sin. He was surprised and scared, and he said to God: “O Lord, who will be able to avoid so many snares?” A voice answered him: “Anthony, those who are humble; because God grants his grace to the humble, so that they may resist temptation. He allows the Evil One to ridicule the proud, who fall into sin at the first chance. On the other hand, the devil does not dare to attack those who are humble.”
When we are tempted, dear brethren, let us remain protected under the shelter of humility; we shall discover that the Evil Spirit has very little power over us.
What Is Humility?
Do you want to know what is humility? Listen, I will tell you in the first place that there are two kinds of humility: exterior and interior humility. The following are signs of exterior humility:
- Not to praise oneself, not to talk of one’s talents and cleverness.
- To keep quiet about the good deeds one has done; such as almsgiving, prayers, works of penance, the services rendered to the neighbor, the interior graces granted by God.
- Not to take pleasure in being praised. To divert the conversation from the success one has achieved, attributing it to God, or by showing that this topic is unpleasant to us.
- To avoid arguments. To yield in everything that is not a sin. Not to think that one is always right. If anyone thinks he is right, he should also think that he is frequently mistaken. One should never seek to have the last word; this is an evidence of having a very proud spirit.
- Never to be sad when one seems to be despised. Not to complain when one is under this impression. Complaining would be a proof of having no humility. A humble person thinks he could never be treated as bad as he deserves on account of his sins. One should thank God, as King David did when he was cursed by Shimei (2 Sam 16:5-14). “Let him curse on if the Lord has told him to,” David told his officers, “perhaps the Lord will look on my wretchedness and repay me with good for this curse today.” He thought he deserved the insults as punishment for his sins.
- Never to excuse one’s faults, when one has done anything deserving censure. Even when one is falsely accused—unless the honor of God is at stake—one should rather suffer in silence.
Interior Humility
You see here, dear brethren, what is exterior humility. Now, what is interior humility? These are the signs of interior humility:
- To have a poor opinion of oneself; never to approve of oneself at heart when one has done anything well, but to look upon oneself as unworthy and incapable of bringing a good deed to a successful completion without the help of God.
- Not to mind other people knowing one’s faults, this is an occasion to improve one’s life.
- To be happy if others surpass us in wealth, in intelligence, in virtue, and in other good qualities. One should be subject to and accept the opinion of those in authority, when this is not a sin.
This, my dear brethren, is to possess Christian humility, a virtue which renders us so pleasing to God, and so amiable to man. Look well now whether you have it or not. And if you don’t have it, spare no pains—if you want to be saved—to implore it of God, until you obtain it. Without humility one can not enter heaven.
Motives To Be Humble
And why should we practice humility? Dear brethren, a Christian who knows himself thoroughly should feel urged to humble himself for more than one reason. I will name three: the consideration of God’s glory, the example of Jesus Christ, and our own wretchedness.
God’s Glory
Who can contemplate the immensity of God, without humbling himself into the dust? God, created heaven and earth out of nothing; with one word he could turn heaven and earth into nothing again. Think: God is so great; his power is boundless; God is filled with every perfection. Consider: God and his never‑ending eternity; his great justice; his providence, by which he rules everything so wisely, and looks after everything with such care; and we a mere nothing!
The Example of Jesus Christ
The example of Jesus Christ should make us humble. St Augustine says: “When I see that God led a life filled with abasement and ignominy, from his Incarnation up to the Cross, can I be afraid of humbling myself? God seeks lowliness; I, a worm, should exalt myself? My God, destroy my pride, which separates me so much from you!”
Our Own Wretchedness
The third motive, dear brethren, which should lead us to be humble is our own wretchedness. We merely have to look at our own selves closely, and we shall find innumerable reasons to humble ourselves.
“Ah,” the holy Job tells us, “what are we? Dust, before our birth; miserable, when we come into the world; waste, when we leave it. Born of a woman, we live only a short time. Though life is short, we weep a great deal. And how soon are we snatched away by death!”
Judge, then, if we have the slightest occasion to exalt ourselves. Whoever has the presumption to think that he is eminent, is a fool who has never known himself. When we really know ourselves we can only despise ourselves.”
Our Talents
We have no less reason to humble ourselves if we consider the grace of God in us. The few gifts and talents we have, all come from the generous hand of the Lord. He bestows them to whom and when he likes. We cannot, therefore, boast of them.
The Hope of Heaven
We must be humble at the sight of the glory and blessedness which await us in the next life; for of ourselves we do not deserve anything. O how loving is God who gives us the hope of such benefits; we who have nothing, and deserve nothing.
What, then, should we conclude from this, dear brethren? Each day, we should ask God for humility, with our whole hearts. We should ask him for the grace to know that we are nothing of ourselves, and that our corporal and spiritual well-being depends on him alone.
Let us, therefore, practice humility as much as we can. There is no virtue more pleasing to God than that of humility. If we possess it, we shall possess all the other virtues. Even if we are great sinners, we can be sure that, if we are humble, God will forgive us.
Yes, dear brethren, let us practice this beautiful virtue. It will unite us to God; it will let us live at peace with our neighbors; it will make the cross less heavy; it will give us the blessed hope of seeing God in heaven. He, himself, tells us this: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall see God!” This it is that I wish you all. Amen.