As the star American football player strode to the microphone after another victory, the media from the sports community packed the room; all anxiously waiting to hear his comments. After taking a moment to compose himself, the athlete noted that he was exhilarated by the team’s accomplishments and his own successes, particularly considering his own years’ long battle with injuries. He quickly added with heartfelt sincerity that he was indeed very humbled by successes of the season; a recognition of the obstacles overcome, the doughtiness of the task, and an understanding and acceptance of his own limitations. Similarly, war veterans also exhibit a deep seated humility about their heroic exploits; one commented that “the real heroes are the ones who gave their lives so that the rest of us could live in freedom.” Commenting on humility, Dale Ahlquist, in his “Common Sense 101”, appropriately noted that “Humility means being small enough to see the greatness of something and to feel unworthy of it, and privileged to be able to enjoy it.”
Humility is often expressed in action by those individuals who devote their lives to those in desperate situations, such as helping the poor living in slums or the sick. Many of those who care for others lower their own economic status and quality of life so as to help others; such actions require unconditional humility and love.
Just how far down the ladder will someone drop to help another? Will a human venture so far as to assume the actual condition of a sick or desperately lonely individual? It has happened, but rarely….and understandably rare. (Fr. Damien’s care of the lepers in Hawaii is one of the rare examples.) Would a human, if one could, lower oneself to the level of one’s favorite animal in order to identify more closely with it? Of course not! Such actions cannot be done and would make no reasonable sense. Higher forms of life do not choose to become a lower form.
Yet once in all of human history a being did lower itself to the extent of assuming the nature of an inferior being….just once. Who did this, when was it done, and why was it done? It was done over 2000 years ago in a small village located in the Roman province in what is the present day Palestinian West Bank. God the Unlimited Almighty, the Creator of the universe and mankind, entered into human nature, lowering Himself to the level of the created, limited being. The Creator not only became part of the creature, He also accepted brutal suffering and a horrific death. The humility of God is truly earth shattering and mind boggling! The Ultimate Humility! Why would God reduce Himself to such a limited state and bare vicious and inhuman suffering? Love is the only answer; a total unrestrained love. God so loved mankind that He humbled His very being to save man from his sins. Astonishing!! Will man grasp the significance of such total love and respond to it? Will man return God’s love with his own love?
If man wants to follow God, he must put on true humility, living in accordance with the Ten Commandments and love one’s neighbor, following the example set by Jesus. No, man does not have to die as Christ did or be a Fr. Damien, but he does need to love as Christ loved. With humility and love, man can crush the deadly sin of pride. But will man yield to pride and thus be crushed by it? Unfortunately it seems that modern man may have chosen pride over humility and love. What then is man’s destiny? Will he waste Christ’s example of humility and the gift of the promise of everlasting life?
Suggested Reading – “Common Sense 101” by Dale Ahlquist, Ignatius Press.