To know
“He pride makes us artificial and the modesty makes us real.” (Thomas Merton). superbon the other hand, moves away from reality by think or pretend to be superior to what one really is. Pope Francisco concluded the cycle of catechesis on the virtues stopping at the modesty.
She is the great antagonist of the most mortal of the vicesof the prideof the pridewhich swell the human heartAs Saint Teresa of Jesus says: be humble is to walk in the TRUE: to know ourselves as wonderful but limited creatures, with virtues and defects. The Bible reminds us that we are dust and to dust we will return (cf. Gen 3:19); “humble” in fact comes from humus, earth. However, delusions of omnipotence often arise in the human heart, so dangerous that they do us much harm.
To think
Standley Donen (1924-2019) was a great filmmaker from the golden age of Hollywood who made people laugh, dance and sing. He was a humble and simple person. He directed the classic and memorable film “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952), highly recommended for a good time. In 1998, the Academy awarded him an Honorary Oscar for his great career. He received a standing ovation, with the entire audience. Standley confessed the secret of his success: surrounding himself with the best in other tasks and getting out of the way. Humble words when attributing his achievements to others.
To live
Pope Francis advises that there is a remedy for pride: to look at a starry sky and rediscover our true worth. Perceiving our own smallness protects us from arrogance.
No virtue would be without humility. Humility is the source of peace in the world and in the Church. Where there is no humility there is war, discord, division. To delve deeper into this virtue, the following suggests: Pope Franciscocontemplate the Virgin Mary, model of humility and smallness. We will discuss her on the next occasion.
We conclude with a thought from Saint Josemaría Escrivá: “Knowledge itself leads us as if by the hand to humility” (The Way, 609).
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