Tu Es Vita

Every Catholic knows that the virtue of humility is foundational in the spiritual life. Without it, there is no real progress and no sanctity. Every sin is in some way connected to the vice of pride. This is because every sin implies a turning away from God and a turning towards our own selfish desires as if they were worthier and more important than God’s law. 

Except for Our Lord and Our Lady, we all suffer from the vice of pride to a greater or lesser extent.  We inherited it from our first parents, whose sin was first and foremost one of pride. They had no concupiscence and thus no weakness to lessen the gravity of their sin. They freely chose themselves over God, forgetting that they were simple creatures who owed perfect obedience to their Creator. Because pride was the cause of the Fall, humility is how we make our way back to God. 

But what does it mean to be humble? The essence of this virtue can be difficult to understand, especially because there are such caricatural depictions of it in popular culture. Being humble doesn’t mean considering ourselves worthless or insisting that we have no talents or good qualities. It doesn’t consist of crippling inferiority feelings and it isn’t a somber sort of state that leads the soul to melancholy and depression. 

I had the good fortune to come across Josef Pieper’s excellent treatment of the cardinal virtues fairly early on in my conversion process. In his treatise, the German philosopher tries to dispel many popular myths concerning the virtues, including the often maligned and misunderstood humility. I like his definition of it best. “The ground of humility,” he says, “is man’s estimation of himself according to truth. And that is almost all there is to it”. 

So what does that mean? It means that humility allows us to see ourselves as we really are and to esteem ourselves according to our true worth. In practice, that means recognizing our smallness and sinfulness before the almighty and all-holy God. Great saints see themselves as miserable and impotent because they are very aware of God’s greatness. In comparison to Him, we are nothing; indeed, we are less than nothing because we are sinners. 

It’s then easy to see why humility is so essential in the spiritual life. Humility allows us to see ourselves as we really are: creatures completely dependent on their Creator and sinners in need of redemption. This perception inclines us to honor and follow God’s law and to put ourselves under the yoke of Christ. We know that we need help and we are not too prideful to beg God for His mercy. 

So we’ve seen why humility is so important. Most Catholics are well aware of it. But I would like to focus on an aspect of this virtue that perhaps doesn’t get as much attention as it should: its connection to joy. 

I have come to think of humility as one of the building blocks of a joyful, fulfilling life. I didn’t originally think of it in that light. Of course, I knew it was important, but I never imagined how much growing in this virtue would contribute to my life satisfaction. Considering I am still very far from the humility of a saint, I can only imagine what joy comes when this virtue is perfected. 

But why does humility make us happy? I’d like to propose some of my own reflections on the matter. You can judge for yourself whether these truths apply to your own life as well. 

When I was younger, I lived a life of open rebellion against God and His law. I didn’t know it at the time, but I can now recognize that my thoughts, values, and habits were in some cases diametrically opposed to what is good. This is the case for a lot of young people that grow up in our perverse modern culture. 

On top of all my vices, like a queen on her throne, sat a heavy dose of pride. I thought I knew better than others. I thought I deserved better than others. I had a high opinion of myself and believed myself invincible. I looked down upon human weaknesses with contempt, as if I were somehow superior to those who needed help in life. 

I was also utterly miserable. I didn’t know why. I eventually embarked on a long journey of discovery to find the cause of this sadness, and that is how I found Our Lord and allowed Him to change my life. Now that I can look back on my younger self with a deeper understanding, I can see that my pride was one of the main reasons for my unhappiness. 

Why? Because pride makes us profoundly dissatisfied with the ordinary lot of life. If we think we’re the best, we also think we deserve the best of everything. Nothing is ever good enough for us. We want the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect spouse. 

But life is actually full of imperfections, humiliations, and difficulties. If we’re prideful, this will only lead to anger, resentment, and unhappiness. Why should I have to deal with the mistakes made by a careless co-worker? That is beneath me. Why should I have to accept my spouse’s messiness or his habit of talking a little bit too much? I deserve better. 

Our pride leads us to focus on the defects of the things we possess or the people in our lives and to conclude we’ve been short-changed. In the worst case, we end up constantly cycling through things and people in an attempt to find the perfection we feel we deserve. Like voracious black holes, we devour and destroy everything that we get our hands on, only to turn our attention to new things to devour and destroy. 

Humility is the exact opposite. Humble people don’t think anything is beneath them. In fact, they are often grateful for the things they have and consider themselves blessed for the smallest goods in their lives. 

This is because the humble see themselves as sinners deserving of punishment, so they accept the imperfections and difficulties of life as a form of penance and expiation for their sins. They rejoice in the opportunity to satisfy divine justice. On the other hand, they also rejoice in the good things that come their way, because they see these things as unmerited gifts from the generosity of God. 

Humility fills our lives with wonder. If we are humble, we don’t live in our heads, constantly judging our experiences according to the limited measure of our own selfishness. Rather, we are open to God’s Providence and embrace reality fully, with all its incredible mysteries and miracles. We start to see life from God’s eyes and discover the blessings inherent in every moment. 

This attitude of the mind and heart leads to joy and frees us to embrace the possibilities life offers us. There are many things the prideful consider unbearable chores that can be hidden gems of grace for the humble. Taking care of an elderly parent. Scrubbing the floors. Diligently completing mundane tasks at work. For the humble, all of these things can shine with divine light and become a source of joy. 

This is what I’ve discovered about humility in my own experience. Certainly, I have not mastered this virtue, yet the tiny seedlings of it in my heart are already strong enough to yield the concrete result of a tangible joy. I want to challenge you to grow in humility in your own life and see what incredible results it has on your overall happiness level. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. 

May Our Lady, queen of the humble, nourish this great virtue in our hearts and lead us thus to the heights of sanctity.