Humility: Hubris: Fertile Soil.
Both Benedict and Ignatius have a lot to say about the pilgrim’s desire to practice and cultivate humility. Benedict teaches that humility treads gently on life. We know our place and therefore can know and value the others in our world. We can stand with another and not need to take the center of the stage. We no longer need to dominate conversations, people or positions. There is room for all of us – together.
Humility is hard for those of us with big personalities – we tend to take more space than we need. Humility is hard when we know we are right. It is also hard when we know we are good…or better at something than most. Humility is difficult when we feel we deserve recognition for the work we have accomplished.
Benedict explores the pilgrim’s heart far more than the outward perception. His ladder to humility has 12 steps…and it is only the 12th steps that is concerned with our external impressions. Benedict says here that our hearts should be apparent by your bodily movements…whether at work, at prayer, walking about, in the garden, on a journey in the fields, sitting, walking or standing!
How can we live as if our life were fertile soil?
How can we leave room for others and know there will be enough space for us?
How can we submit out of love of God to whatever obedience a superior may require of us?
Rule of Benedict 7: Any [person] who has climbed all these steps of humility will come quickly to that love of God which in its fullness casts out all fear. Carried forward by that love, they will begin to observe without effort as though naturally from good habit all those precepts which in earlier days were kept at least partly through fear…A new motive will have have taken over…the love of Christ.
Aha! Living in humility allows us to the place where there is no fear.
If there is no fear – we can simply be ourselves. Simply be. Be.
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