VIRTUE FOR DECEMBER - HUMILITY

"Humility is the fundamental virtue by which a person remembers his utter dependence on God and God's laws and God's providence, and the utter folly of any action or any judgment or any self-gratification that is contrary to the will of God. Humility is the only remedy for pride.

"Pride is defined as an inordinate love of one's own excellence. It is called inordinate love because everyone is bound to love self in an ordinate or rational way, which means to love self inasmuch as and after the manner in which one is loved by God.

"God loves every human being that He has created; this means that God desires the happiness and salvation of each one and directs all His laws and all His providence and all His gifts and graces to these ends. A rightful love of self is really reducible to the love of God, because it means seeking what God seeks, conforming self to God's will, fulfilling God's plans in regard to one's destiny." (Rev. Donald Miller, C.SS.R)

"We can judge the degree of humility we have reached when the initiative is taken by others, that is, when others, and not ourselves, point to our faults and failings; when we are not only able to be truthful with ourselves but willingly allow others to tell us the truth about ourselves.

"Our state of humility is seen, in other words, in how we accept rebukes, correction, criticism, and humiliation.... Humility, in iself, in its most perfect state, does not consist in being little or feeling little but in making oneself little! Perfect humility consists, therefore, in constantly making oneself small, not for the sake of some personal need or benefit, but for the sake of love, to elevate others.

"That is what the humility of Jesus was like; he made himself so small as to 'annihilate' himself for us.... We must be humble for this deepest reason of all: to be similar to our Father and not to the 'father of untruth,' the liar, who, instead, always tends to 'elevate himself' and place his throne in heaven. (Isaiah 14:13) (Father Raniero Cantalamessas, O.F.M. Cap.)

ASPIRATION FOR THE MONTH

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.

SCRIPTURE FOR THE MONTH

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.

(Colossians 3:12-13)

PRAYER FOR THE MONTH

My Lord Jesus Christ, who, though Thou was the Creator and Master of the universe, didst humble Thyself and become a servant to redeem the world, help me to understand that humility is necessary for every other virtue I desire to possess.

Thou dost resist the proud and give Thy grace only to the humble. I, therefore, renounce the pride that has caused me to offend Thee so often in the past, that has made me place myself above Thee, the Sovereign Lord of all.

Let me prove my humility by accepting cheerfully every humiliation I receive from others; by submitting unreservedly to Thy commands and the authority of Thy Church; by seeking no honor and no recognition from the world, but only Thy approbation and Thy reward. O Mary, whose humility was so pleasing to the Most High, obtain for me the grace to renounce all self-will in complete surrender to God.