Lesson 6: Humility
My first response to Sister Joan remains that she seems to be writing about the self-evident. My second is she confronts exactly what is wrong with our present society. Her take on humility that she designates as the lost virtue is a perfect example. Once you examine what she, Benedict, and Jesus say about humility, you quickly realize our society– and too often, our church– has turned what they have said upside down.
To be humble is now defined as humiliating yourself. We are taught that those who are humble do not respect themselves. Healthy people see themselves as winners rather than losers. Popular Christian theologians such as Robert Schuller and Joel Osteen echo this kind of thinking when they call for a new reformation that proclaims self-esteem rather than justification by grace through faith. They believe the 16th century reformation led people to think they are depraved, corrupt, good-for-nothing sinners. Now, we need to make clear that Christ makes us winners.
Of course, this is a complete misreading of justification that proclaims God’s love, rather than my sin. Sister Joan argues that healthy community begins with recognizing God’s presence among us and reading everything from this perspective. Humility, then, is not about abusing myself and denying my talents, but rather seeing my talents as gifts from God that are to be developed and shared with the entire community. Humility has to do with a realistic understanding of who I am in relationship with other people. It is just the opposite of false modesty, because it involves the responsibility to discern my talents and to enrich them so I can use them to serve the community.
This involves also recognizing the gifts God grants to other people. Humility acknowledges the wisdom other people in the present and past offer us. Naturally, it also recognizes my own and other people’s limitations as well. The key is realism.
St. Paul said this in just about every one of his letters. He begins proclaiming how Jesus revealed God’s love for us all, continues describing how this includes Jesus granting every one of us spiritual gifts, and ends by making clear these are to be shared for the common good.
The wisdom of this kind of humility was brought home to me last night. Our study group read a short story about the devastation in post-World War II France. It was very apparent that talking about winners and losers was nonsense in that situation. Success depended on every one cooperating. All were in this together and needed to share what they had.
You could not read the story without thinking of the first Christians in Jerusalem who shared all their possessions. Talking about winners and losers has always been the luxury of the rich. The poor talk about having enough, not about having more than other people. Basing all on winning and losing destroys, rather than builds, real community. The only way to have a win-win situation is for everyone to share what they have.
Benedict described humility as a learning process. He pictured a ladder into heaven on which you ascend as you learn humility and descend when you exalt yourself. That is the exact opposite of our society’s understanding of life. The present presidential campaign that is all about winning and losing makes this obvious. Most of the people around me think that the conduct of the candidates demonstrates what might very well destroy in our community. In their minds, one candidate uses talent as a form of entitlement and the other as a form of exploitation. Everything becomes what is wrong with the other person. Perhaps we should enforce in our political campaigns the one rule that seems to create community in my high school reading groups— no put downs.
Humility is based on realistically looking at life. I am able to do this when I overcome my fear of this world and other people. That begins with recognizing God’s presence here among us.
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Wow, so well said. And, I agree completely. I can remember no time in my life when I have been so disinterested in a Presidential campaign. All of it sickens me. Why? I think you put a finger on it. Lack of humility has become a pervasive society problem. The Church has become like the Supreme Court, politically reflecting societal wants and not courageously standing on our bedrock. Shuller and Osteen are not my heros, Luther, Bonhoeffer, MLK, and yes, sister Joan – they are true heroes – and think they would agree on what is being said here. Justification by grace through faith….. those who get that are the true winners and those who don’t are the true losers.