St. Augustine said, “I would wish that you place yourself with all your love under Christ, and that you pave no other way in order to reach and to attain the truth than has already been paved by Him who, as God, knows the weakness of our steps. This way is, in the first place, humility; in the second place, humility; in the third place, humility … As often as you ask me about the Christian religion’s norms of conduct, I choose to give no other answer than: humility.”
St. Vincent de Paul said, “Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.”
Father Patrick Gearon wrote, “In ordinary everyday life, we have no time for the man who does not tell the truth. And one of the lowest insults that you can level against another is to call him a liar. Yet those laying claim to gifts as if they were totally from themselves … well, such people are liars … Now everything we have has been given to us by God. We are and have absolutely nothing outside the empty void from which we spring … When I fail to give due praise to God and attempt to abrogate things to myself, I am acting dishonestly.”
Father Gearon pointed out that deeds done for the sole purpose of gaining the approval and the esteem of men lose all claims of merit before God. The honour gained from men is the only reward. Honour, if merited but not sought after, is not to be condemned, but the secret desire for public acknowledgment can easily destroy totally the heavenly merit of our actions.
When St. Elizabeth praised Our Lady, she responded by joyfully praying the Magnificat. Father Joseph Esper pointed out that a sign of mature humility is the ability to rejoice in the great things God does through us, without seeking to appropriate any of the credit for ourselves. St. Francis de Sales admitted to St. Vincent de Paul that sometimes he wept with joy while reading his own books – not with pride, but with gratitude, for he knew the great wisdom contained in those books came not from himself, but from God.
The truth of our own weakness can keep us humble. Blessed Solanus Casey said, “The weaknesses we experience are naturally providential guards against one of the very greatest dangers to our holiness: pride.” And St. Teresa of Avila said, “It constantly happens that the Lord permits a soul to fall so that it may grow humbler.”
We can derive spiritual benefits from our weakness. St. Paola Frassinetti exhorted us: “Don’t permit your miseries or defects to depress you. Rather, let them be steps by which you descend the deep mine where we find the precious gem of holy humility. Learn that it is our littleness that buys this unique and true treasure that alone renders the soul that possesses it blessed in time and in eternity.”
True humility is the mark of genuine holiness. St. Melania the Younger observed: “The Devil can imitate all the righteous acts that we appear to do, but he is splendidly defeated by love and humility … We fast, but he eats absolutely nothing. We keep watch, but he does not sleep at all. Let us therefore hate pride because, through it, he fell from Heaven, and again, because, through it, he wants to drag us down with him.” St. Faustina said, “Now I understand why there are so few saints; it is because so few souls are deeply humble.”
St. Bernard warned: “Beware of comparing yourself with your betters or your inferiors, with a particular few or with even one.”
Father Joseph Esper gave this advice: “If we feel we must make comparisons, let us compare ourselves only with the persons God wants us to be. Honestly making such a comparison will compel us to admit that our sins and weaknesses are holding us back, and keeping this truth firmly in mind will help us remain humble.”
『謙遜不是什麼，只是真理』
聖奧斯定說：『我希望你以全部的愛將自己放置於基督內，這樣你不再需要鋪砌任何途徑去達成或獲得那份祂己經鋪砌妥當的真理，因為天主知悉我們每一步的弱點。這道路是，首先，是謙遜；其次是謙遜，再者也是謙遜…就如你們不時問及我有關基督徒宗教行為的規範，我選擇不作任何別的答案而只是：謙遜。』
聖雲先說：『謙遜不是什麼，只是真理，驕傲不是什麼，只是謊言。』Patrick Gearon神父寫道：『在一般的每日生命中，我們沒有時間給那些不說實話的人。你能夠加諸另一人最底下的侮辱是稱之為説謊者。然而，那些宣稱恩賜是完全出於他們自己的人是説謊者…我們所有的全都是天主給我們的。在我們出自的空虛以外，我們是和我們擁有的是絕對的虛無…當我們未能恰當地讚美天主，並嘗試歸事物於自己，我們便不誠實地做事。』
Patrick Gearon神父指出一切只為爭取人類的認同和尊敬的行為在天主面前都全部失去功勞。從人得到的榮譽是唯一的回報。榮譽如果是應得的不是爭取來的，不在被譴責之內、但為我們的作為，私下地渴望能夠得到公眾認同，便很容易完全破壞天上的功績。
聖依撒伯爾讚美聖母時，她以讚主頌喜樂地回應祈禱。Joseph Esper神父指出一個成熟謙遜的標緻是有能力喜樂於天主經由我們做到的大事，而不追尋任何對自己的讚賞。聖方濟沙肋爵吿訴聖雲先，不少時在閱讀他自己的著作時淌著喜樂的淚水—不以驕傲，卻以感激，因為他知道書本內所載超卓的智慧並不由他而來，卻由天主而來。Solanus Casey said, “The weaknesses we experience are naturally providential guards against one of the very greatest dangers to our holiness: pride.”
我們的軟弱能使我們謙遜。真福Solanus Casey指出：我們經歷到的軟弱是自然地保護我們對抗阻礙成聖的其中一個碩大的危險：驕傲。聖女大德蘭說：『經常發生的是，我主容許一個靈魂跌倒，這樣他能在謙遜內成長。』
我們從我們的軟弱中得到靈性上的益處。聖Paola Frassinetti督促我們說：『不要為你的困苦和缺點而氣餒。反而讓他們成為你的梯級，你步落深處，那裡你找到謙遜的珍寶。要知道是我們的微小為我們購置了這獨一的和真正的寶藏——只有擁有它的靈魂才能於時間和永恆中都蒙福。』
真謙遜是真聖德的表徵。聖幼梅肋尼亞觀察到：『魔鬼能夠模仿我們看似可以做到的一切美德，但牠卻為愛和謙遜所擊潰…我們齋戒，但他絕對不吃什麼。我們守夜，但他絕不睡眠。所以讓我們憎恨驕傲，因為因著它，他由天堂摔下，再者，因為它，他要把我們拖下與他一起。』聖傅天娜說：『現在我明白為什麼聖人不多；這是因為很少的靈魂是深深的謙遜。』
聖伯爾納伯警告說：『當心，不要與比你好的或差的作比較，與特定的一小群，甚或一個作比較。』Joseph Esper神父有這樣的勸勉：『如果我們感到要作比較，讓我們與天主要我們成為的人作比較。實際地，作這樣的比較會驅使我們去承認自己的罪過和軟弱，它拑制著我們，把這真理牢記腦海會幫助我們保持謙遜。』
