Humility & Pride

Chapter 1: Place of Humility among Christian Virtues Jesus Christ began his Sermon on the Mount, which summarizes His moral teachings, with: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” ‘Poor in spirit’ are those who are humble and conscious of their spiritual poverty. Our Lord began His sermon with a call to humility because it is the first step on the ladder to perfection. Humility is rewarded with nothing less but the heavenly kingdom. On another occasion, when His disciples asked Him who amongst them is the greatest in heaven, He called a little child and said: “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus preaches humility as the first and necessary condition to serve God. Humility is the foundation on which we can re-build our spiritual image. Humility is the mother of all virtues. Without it, our love is superficial; our hope is impatient; our faith is incomplete. Humility is the salt of a righteous life. Just as food goes bad without preservatives, the same way righteousness loses its value without humility. Saint Cyprian of Carthage considered humility the “foundation of sainthood.” Saint Jerome referred to it as the “first Christian virtue.” Saint Gregory the Great calls it “a mentor and a mother” and “the root and source of all virtues.” Just as every flower supports its freshness and beauty through its roots, every virtue when torn from its source - humility - fades away and loses its value. Humility is the foundation of our spiritual edifice and of our spiritual life. Some may object, however, claiming that faith is the foundation of spiritual growth – faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which is also confirmed by St. Paul who says: “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” When building a house, we first need to remove the soft and sandy earth and only after reaching solid soil that can withstand the weight of the building, can we lay the foundation and start the construction. The solid soil is humility. First, we need to renounce our weaknesses and imperfections and acknowledge that with our own efforts we cannot accomplish anything. Only then, can we place the founding stone – faith. We need to first admit our spiritual poverty, humble ourselves, before we can begin our spiritual construction through faith. Another critical construction rule is that the taller and more magnificent the building will be, the deeper its foundations must be laid. The height of the edifice needs to be comparable to its depth. Love is called the “queen of all virtues”, but even love without heart-felt humility loses itself and turns into hypocrisy. Love is the cement, the building material that keeps the spiritual building together. Without it, the building runs the risk of falling apart, no matter how skillfully the individual stones are assembled. Love helps us raise our spiritual building and gives it its beauty. At the same time, the more we realize that we owe everything to God – both our natural gifts and the success of our efforts - the more we humble ourselves and the greater is our love and gratitude towards our Benefactor. Hope, on the other hand, is the vertical frame of our spiritual building ensuring that the edifice stands straight. Without a frame, the walls may become slanted and the building may collapse. The taller the building, the greater is the need for a vertical frame to keep it straight. Hope is also founded on humility since the more we realize that we cannot accomplish anything without God’s help, the greater is our hope in Him. A house built on solid and deep foundations will withstand all storms and floods. If we build our spiritual edifice – the new person in Christ – on the solid foundation of faith, hope and love supported by profound humility, we will succeed. St. Tikhon of Zadonsk says that humility is as important for those who want to learn to live a Christian life as the alphabet is for those learning to read. Just as the alphabet is the beginning of all learning, humility is the beginning and the foundation of Christian wisdom. Humility is the wreath into which all Christian virtues are woven. Humility is the sermon of the Gospel, the sermon of the Apostles, their successors and the Church Fathers.