Thought for the Day – 27 July – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
HUMILITY
Meditations for a Month
Models of Humility:
Jesus Christ
When we compare the humility of Jesus Christ with that which is possible to ourselves, it seems as though the virtue in us, does not deserve the same name, for He, Who was Omnipotent God lowered Himself to become the lowliest of men. Such an act of humility was an Infinite abasement of Himself and had an Infinite value in the sight of God.
The Divine Word submitted to the obliteration of all His Glory and Majesty when He became man. This was humility indeed!
But what is our humility? Simply placing ourselves in a position which more nearly approaches that which we deserve to occupy!
When I humble myself, I simply divest myself of the false position of seeming to have any virtue, or dignity, or claim to honour, of my own.
Even when He had lowered Himself to the nature of man, He was not satisfied but He needed to seek out every kind of contempt and insult.
He was regarded as a madman, as possessed with a devil, as a wine-bibber, as an impostor, as a leader of sedition, as a fool, as a criminal and as a blasphemer. All this He took upon Himself, of His own accord and deemed an honour!
Is it not strange that I should shrink from sharing that whicvh the Son of God chose as the fitting treatment of His Human Nature?
He did more than this.
He so identified Himself with human sin that He is said, by the Apostle, to have been made sin for our sakes and, by this means, He was able to find a fresh motive for humbling Himself, as being laden with sin in the sight of His Heavenly Father.
If He, the Spotless Lamb, thus sought out motives of humiliation, how is it that I,, on the contrary, seem to avoid all which humbles me?
AnaStpaul 