What Is True Humility? - Life Lessons from Holy Weeek

Over time, humility has become more and more under-rated and misunderstood. A lot of this has to do with the fact that we see ourselves through the eyes of the world instead of through the eyes of God.

Palm Sunday not only signals the start of Holy Week, but it can also show us the way to true humility. Through the Paschal Mystery; Jesus’ passage from life to death to new life, lies the path to:

Embracing humility & suffering
Learning how to surrender our will to the will of God
Learning about our true personal dignity in God

The more that we can focus on the path of Jesus’ own humiliation throughout this week, the more we will be able to grow in true humility. Pope Francis tells us that, “there can be no humility without humiliation.”

In Our World Today

This is extremely hard to do in a world pre-occupied with wealth, power, and control. Too many of us, me included – at one time or another – have been consumed by the desire for a bigger paycheck and having more prestige & influence.

Consider that, not long after the triumphant parade of Jesus from Bethany to Jerusalem, he was met by:

Betrayal, denial, violence, and the incomparable cruelty leading up to the Crucifixion
Institutional corruption and deep injustice fueled by the vanity of the Pharisees (pride and a desire for control leads to the majority of arguments & quarrels in our lives)

In his Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul calls us to practice humility, in the face of adversity, like Jesus:

he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave…he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on the cross (Phil. 2:7-8).

What Is Real Humility?

Only until we are able to gratefully accept the humiliations that come our way can we experience real humility:

Real humility involves being able to say thank you for both our blessings and the pain that we endure.
Real humility involves serving others and seeking their good above your own advancement, even when they are ungrateful or disappoint you.
Real humility is when you realize you are not better than or less than others, but equal, as brothers and sisters of God the Father, especially when others belittle or offend you.

In his book, The Furrow, no. 259, St. Josemaria Escriva describes how humility is the foundation of all virtues:

“Prayer is the humility of the man who acknowledges his profound wretchedness and the greatness of God. He addresses and adores God as one who expects everything from Him and nothing from himself.
Faith is the humility of the mind which renounces its own judgement and surrenders to the verdict and authority of the Church.
Obedience is the humility of the will which subjects itself to the will of another, for God’s sake.
Chastity is the humility of the flesh, which subjects itself to the spirit.
Exterior mortification is the humility of the senses.
Penance is the humility of all the passions, immolated (offered up) to the Lord.
Humility is truth on the road of the ascetic (austere) struggle.”

Humility is the key to discovering who we are in Christ!

How to Begin

“Knowledge of oneself is the first step that has to be taken for the soul to reach the knowledge of God.” – St. John of the Cross

As you focus on the Passion, the Crucifixion, and the Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ all this week, think about all that he accomplished through his humility and surrender:

He permitted the darkness of the world to envelop him
Jesus took upon himself the sins of the world
On the cross, he drowned all the sins of the world in an ocean of Divine Mercy

The triumph of God’s love and mercy was made possible through the humility of Jesus. May this type of genuine humility lead to your spiritual conversion or reversion.

Robert V. Rodriguez is Public Relations & Outreach Assistant for Pilgrim Center of Hope. He combines a passion for the Catholic faith together with years of professional experience as a TV news journalist, video producer, and PR/marketing specialist. Robert also serves as Chairman for our annual “Master, I Want to See” Catholic Men’s Conference.

Answering Christ’s call, Pilgrim Center of Hope guides people to encounter Him so as to live in hope, as pilgrims in daily life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.