LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT STEP 25
STEP 25 “DEVELOPING HUMILITY”
Scripture on Humility….
Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
1 Peter 5:5-6 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
James 4:6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says,"God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Philippians 2:3-11 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Colossians 3:12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
Matthew 23:12 And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
John opens up this step by telling us, There is something very misleading about "reading about humility" as if one could learn about true humility from a book. In fact, St. John says this precisely: "Do you imagine that talk of such matters will mean anything to someone who has never experienced them? If you think so, then you will be like a man who with words and examples tries to convey the sweetness of honey to people who have never tasted it. He talks uselessly. Indeed I would say he is simply prattling. Our theme sets before us as a touchstone a treasure stored safely in earthen vessels, that is, in our bodies. This treasure is of such quality that it eludes adequate description. It carries an inscription of heavenly origin which is therefore incomprehensible so that anyone seeking for words for it is faced with a great and endless task. The inscription reads as follows: Holy Humility."
Humility is a grace in the soul and with a name known only to those who have had experience with it. It is indescribable wealth, a name and a gift from God. “Learn from Me,” He said, that is, not from an angel, not from a man, not from a book, but, “from Me,” that is from My dwelling place within you, from My illumination and action within you, for “I am gentle and meek of heart” (Matt 11:29) in thought and in spirit, and your souls will find rest from conflicts and relief from evil thoughts.
Humility is a virtue won through struggle… In the context of this struggle, which is inescapably a struggle for God, and this, a struggle with oneself, the world, and most importantly, the devil.
Therefore, St. John approaches this step with some concern. His hesitancy to write about humility stems from a few sources. First, as he insists, humility is a virtue won through struggle. There is a very real sense in which humility can only be learned existentially - through the experience of the struggle for God. In the context of this struggle, we are taught by God Himself what it means for us to be humble. It is one thing to write about it and to give mental assent to it. But how many of us really know that this is true, how many of us feel that it is true, how many of us experience the torturous presence of pride moment to moment? There is only one way to learn: life-long struggle.
Second, it is difficult to write about it because humility expresses itself in different ways in different people. Since humility is a grace of God in the soul, learned existentially in the context of my own individual struggle to find God, it is inescapably personal. What it means for me to be humble is tied to who I am, where I have come from, where I am going and how I am supposed to get there. The uniqueness of my own road to God means that humility is going to be different for me than for anyone else. Furthermore, as I grow older and my life changes, humility will take on new meaning and new expression. John puts it poetically:
The appearance of this sacred vine is one thing during the winter of passions, another is the springtime of flowering, and still another in the harvestime of all the virtues.
However, as beginners we are in need of some direction. St. John gives us general guidelines to follow in the specifics of our own struggle. First, he reminds us that the struggle for humility is the most important struggle of our spiritual lives. Humility is victory over every passion, entrance into heaven, a love of prayer, and the guardian of all other virtues.
Entrance into Heaven: Repentance lifts a man up. Mourning knocks at heaven’s gates. Holy Humility opens it.
It is through repentance that this experience comes. St. John likens this work to the process of baking bread. By repentance the soul is broken and refined, like the grinding of the grain into flour. Through this it is brought to a certain unity which God can then work and commingle with the water of genuine mourning. When we are ready, kindled by the fire of God the bread of blessed humility grows and is made firm without the leaven of pride. We know this process through its effects and properties. First, we learn to accept indignity with the greatest pleasure. Next follows the loss of bad temper, and the gaining of humility in its place. And, third, is the distrust of one’s good qualities and a constant desire to learn.
Most of us cannot or do not achieve this because we really do not believe that we are sinners. We might say that we are sinners, but, as St. John writes, it is when we suffer from indignity that our heart is truly tested. When you are insulted does your spirit grow stiff and angry, chaffing at the indignity? If so, then you really believe you are righteous and void of sin. We must learn that we are sinners. Repentance is the only true prerequisite for spiritual growth. Without a spirit of repentance our desire to grow in humility is futile.
It is Love of Prayer: You will know that you have this holy gift within you and not be led astray when you experience an abundance of unspeakable light together with an indescribable love of prayer.
It is the Guardian of all other virtues: Without humility no one will enter the marriage chamber, for humility is the guardian of such gifts.
Humility is the destroyer of the passions. The passions are those things, and desires that control us, that drive our experience and life. They are the same, and yet they are different for each of us – anger, pride, arrogance, lust, pleasure, wealth, covetousness, greed, jealousy - these are the things that separate us from the life of God. They cannot be conquered by will power, vows, resolutions and even our own work and effort. They can only be overcome through humility. The only way to become more like God is for us to deny ourselves and our desires, and to seek to become less and less.
The man with humility for his bride will be gentle, kind, inclined to compunction (feelings that prevents from wrongdoing), be sympathetic, calm in every situation, radiant, easy to get along with, inoffensive, alert and active. In a word, free from passion.
If you wish to fight against some passion, take humility as your ally, for she will tread on the asp and the basilisk (a monster whose breath and glance are fatal) of sin and despair and she will tread under foot the lion and the serpent of physical devilishness and cunning (Ps. 90:13)
Thirdly, he teaches us how to recognize the presence of humility in our hearts. (Remember: his purpose in giving us these "signs of humility" is not to make us proud because they are there, but to make us humble because they are not!)
Sign number one of humility is "the delighted readiness of the soul to accept indignity, to receive it with open arms, to welcome it as something that relieves and cauterizes diseases of the soul and grievous sins."
Sign number two is "the wiping out of anger - - and modesty over the fact that it has subsided."
Sign number three is "the honest distrust of one's own virtues, together with an unending desire to learn more." Humility does not come from the mind or the attitude. It is born out of our bodily activity. It was the Master himself who showed us this truth. “The Master knowing that the virtue of the soul is modelled on outward behaviour, took a towel and showed us how to walk the way of humility.” It is in this way, John says, the soul becomes like the bodily occupations and conforms itself to the body’s activities and takes its shape from them. This reveals again the unity of the spirit and the body and enlightens for us the path to humility. It is action, and not thoughts and words that make us into the image of God.
Finally, he teaches us how to cultivate the presence of humility in our hearts. Here St. John reminds us that there is not one way to humility. The heights of humility may be scaled from various vantage points:
1) Remembering our sins…. We can develop humility by reminding ourselves often of our sins. Nothing keeps us from thinking that we are "holy" like the remembrance of what we have done and are doing wrong, (There are those who) hold themselves in contempt (holding himself as considered “low”) when they think of their daily lapses. Not all are strong enough psychologically, emotionally, or spiritually to bear constant remembrance of past misdeeds. For some, this does not lead to humility, but rather to despair.
Not all are capable of living such lives of constant remembrance. For these John outlines another way to humility..
2) Remembering God’s grace… We can develop humility by reminding ourselves of how much grace we have received. Others, remembering the passion of Christ, think of themselves eternally in debt….
If we cannot "handle" the constant remembrance of our sins or if this grace has not been given to us, then perhaps we can humble ourselves by the constant remembrance of God's mercy and grace. True gratitude leads to humility,
3) Remembering our weakness… We can develop humility by reminding ourselves of how weak and vulnerable to sin we are. If we cannot continuously remind ourselves of our sin, and if we cannot remain continuously thankful, at least we should be able to remember at all times how easy it is for us to fall. We are not strong in and of ourselves; we are vulnerable, we cannot defend ourselves spiritually or physically. Let us be humbled. This is why the holy fathers say that physical labor, vigils, fasting, etc. are important aids to humility. They reveal the weakness of our flesh, so that we might put no trust in it. Recognition of our own mortality and frailty leads to humility.
Someone discovered in his heart how beautiful humility is, and in his amazement he asked her to reveal her parent’s name. Humility smiles, joyous and serene: “Why are you in such a rush to learn the name of my begetter? He has no name, nor will I reveal him to you until you have God for your possession. To Whom be glory forever.” Amen.
The sea is the source of the fountain, and humility is the source of discernment.
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