Yikes….The Ancient Whisper In The Garden

Have you ever noticed someone who seems to be lacking in self-awareness …. perhaps belting out a song with a certain tone deafness that causes animals in the forest to run for cover….. or maybe someone pontificating on a topic without even a basic understanding, or maybe someone quickly jumping in to speak of his latest achievement when there is a moment of silence in a conversation. Hmmmmm, if the answer is NO, maybe it’s time for a glance in the mirror. Yikes, you don’t mean that I ever do anything like that. Are you serious ? Me?  Mr. Humility….. Boy Oh Boy Oh Boy.

What can we say about humility? Well, humility is based on truth….. seeing our self as we really are….. not viewing our self as more than we are in reality or less than we are in reality. A humble man allows the Lord to care for him, to defend him. Moses, referred to as the meekest of men, allowed God to defend him. In reality, we can trust the Lord to love us, to defend us, to place us in position to serve him, to encourage us in the perfect way when needed, to correct us at the right time and in the right way. 

When we focus on our self, things don’t go well. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled”. (Mt 23:12)  Pride sets subtle snares. Whenever we imagine that we are in control of life—our own or someone else’s—we have fallen prey to the ancient whisper in the Garden: “You shall be like gods.” Mortality is the enduring reminder that we become like God not by our own power but by the power of the cross. (ref. Magnificat, 9-28-23)

In Sirach 10:7-16  we read:  “Odious to the Lord and to men is arrogance, and the sin of oppression they both hate. The beginning of pride is man’s stubbornness in withdrawing his heart from his Maker; for pride is the reservoir of sin, a source which runs over with vice. The roots of the proud God plucks up, to plant the humble in their place: He breaks down their stem to the level of the ground, then digs their roots from the earth.”  In the past we would often quote Proverbs 18 to one another….”pride goes before a fall and humility before honor.” (Prov. 18:12)

On a recent retreat a Litany of Humility was referenced. Here’s a couple of them to wet our appetite.

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, deliver me: From the desire of being honored … From the desire of being preferred to others… From the desire of being consulted … From the fear of being forgotten …

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire: That others may be chosen and I set aside … That others may be praised and I unnoticed … That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

When we find pride sneaking around our soul, don’t become discouraged. Recognizing it is the first step to getting rid of it. The Lord isn’t surprised by our pride and will help us vanquish it; He’s already at work. And this is very good news.