A Year Of Humility (LI): Final Thoughts

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Thanks for coming along with me on A Year of Humility.

Originally, this was a project largely brought out of a series of quotes that appeared in my social media feed.  The quotes eventually seemed to disappear, which I am grateful for:  it forced me to consider other aspects of humility that I might not have considered otherwise.

I suppose it has been sort of a leitmotif for Christianity for 2,000 years that we are badly in need of humility. The humility of Christ - the Son of God, descending from Heaven to become flesh and serve and die for His creation (specifically us) - should never cease to amaze and astound us.

Sadly, too often it seems to fail to inspire us.

If I have been made aware of anything this year, it is how much that humility which the world needs to see, which the Church Universal should demonstrate, is missing.  I cannot fix the Church directly; I can only fix myself.

Is there a "limit" to humility, a point at which one has become too humble?  I guess in theory it is possible, although I cannot imagine what that limit would be; few there are that might be accused of being humble to the point of it being a detriment.  And per Moses the Ethiopian above, humility may be the one thing we can outperform the Evil One in.

I close this year with the quote I read from C.S. Lewis so many years ago (and quoted at least once during this series) that sent me long ago down this path of consideration of humility:

"Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble person he will be what most people call 'humble' nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody.  Probably all you will think of him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him.  If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily.  He will not be thinking about humility; he will not be thinking about himself at all.

If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step.  The first step is to realize one is proud.  And a biggish step, too.  At least, nothing whatever can be done before it.  If you think you are not conceited, you are very conceited indeed."