Of Humility: Degrees Two through Five. [The text of the Rule is in black, the commentary in blue]
Edited
by Dom Anselm for St. Anthony of Egypt, Oblate
Chapter of St. Scholastica Monastery
Humility is not an emotional state,
but a life orientation; an attitude enfleshed in the service of others.
The
Second Degree of Humility is that a man loves not his own
will, nor is pleased to fulfill his own desires but by his deeds carries out
that word of the Lord which says: "I came not to do My own will but the
will of Him that sent Me" (John 6:38). It is likewise said:
"Self-will has its punishment, but constraint wins the crown."[i]
This is the core of the issue. The surrender of the will
is a difficult challenge, and that surrender has to be carried over into
action, into concrete deeds. Surrender is not a mere passive giving up, but a
surrender into obedient action. We are to do the will of Him who sends us, not
just verbalize about it. That will inevitably lead us into proclamation and the
service of others.
Further St. Benedict tells us that ‘Self-will has its
punishment.” There is a very practical point here. Most of the trouble we get
ourselves into is the result of a bull-headed ploughing ahead and stubbornly
doing our own thing. We need to accept constraints on our wilfulness and on
our actions. The surrender of the will entails limitations on our will, and our acknowledgement that we are willing to accept those limitations.
The
Third Degree of Humility is, that for the love of God a man
submits himself to a Superior in all obedience, imitating the Lord, of whom the
Apostle says: "He became obedient unto death" (Phil 2:8).
Surrender and humility are not lived out in a comfortable
vacuum. Each of us is accountable to someone else, whether or not we like the
idea. In the context of the Monastery or the Abbey it is the Prioress or the
Abbot; but Oblates also are accountable. We are accountable to each other, to
our bosses, to our parish priest, to our bishop. In a very practical way
husbands are accountable to their wives, and wives are accountable to their
husbands. Without accountability there is no true community.
The attitude of humility and its complex relationships to
those in authority is clearly revealed in St. Benedict’s Chapter, ‘The
Assignment of Impossible Tasks to a Brother’.
“If it happens that difficult or impossible tasks
are laid on a brother, let him nevertheless receive the order of the one in
authority with all meekness and obedience. But if he sees that the weight of
the burden altogether exceeds the limit of his strength, let him submit the
reasons for his inability to the one who is over him in a quiet way and at an
opportune time, without pride, resistance, or contradiction. And if after these representations the
Superior still persists in his decision and command, let the subject know that
this is for his good, and let him obey out of love, trusting in the help of
God.” [ii]
The
Fourth Degree of Humility is that if hard and distasteful
things are commanded, even if suffering is involved, he accepts these things with
patience and even temper, and does not grow weary or give up, but holds out, as
the Scripture says: "He that perseveres to the end shall be saved" (Mt
10:22). And again: "Let your heart take courage, and wait for the
Lord" (Ps 27:14).
What kind of hard and distasteful things might a monk be
commanded to do? Everything from cleaning the bathroom, to mucking out the
stable. All of us have things in our homes and in our jobs that are both
necessary and unpleasant; but we are to accept these things with patience, even
if they entail a little suffering on our part. I suspect that many of the
sufferings we endure in such circumstances have to do more with pride, than
hard work.
The surrender of the will is easy when there are no
immediate circumstances that overwhelm either the Monastic or the Oblate. It is difficult for the Oblate, very
difficult, in the midst of impending conflicts, where the desires and pressure
of the world around him call for a surrender of one’s material possessions,
pride, and relationships. The Monastic
at least theoretically has already surrendered such things in taking his final
vows.
And another passage shows that a faithful man should
even bear every disagreeable thing for the Lord, saying with the voice of those
who suffer: "For Your sake we suffer death all the day long; we are
counted as sheep for the slaughter" (Rom 8:36; Ps 44:22). And secure in
the hope of the divine reward, they go on joyfully, saying: "But in all
these things we overcome because of Him that who loved us" (Rom 8:37).
In whatever suffering we endure, even in laboring at
unpleasant mundane tasks; we have the unique privilege of uniting our small
sufferings with the suffering of Christ on our behalf. St. Paul well understood
the principle saying, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my
flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of
his body, that is, the church” [Colossians 1:24]. While we may not be called to
Paul’s ministry, the same principle holds true in the everyday sufferings that
many Christians have on behalf of their own families, parishes, and in their places
of employment.
And likewise in another place the Scripture says:
"You, O God, have proved us; You have tried us by fire as silver is tried;
You have brought us into a net, You have laid afflictions on our back" (Ps
66: 10-11).
Human relationships are the crucible in which Christian
personality is shaped. Charles Williams tells us one of the important facets of
love,
Christian lovers,
who have considered within themselves the nature of Love, will have known from
the beginning that there is another side to the early delight. To them it is a place of purgation as well as
joy; it is in truth a little universe of place and time, of earth, of
purgatory, of heaven or hell. The companion
in this experience is to him or to her the instrument of fire which shall burn
away his corrupt part. . .
Love is Holiness
and Divine Indignation; the placidity of an ordinary married life is the veil
of a spiritual passage into profound things.
Nor is this all; the lover knows himself also to be the cross upon which
the Beloved is to be stretched, and so she also of her lover.[iii]
Christian Marriage is a Covenant relationship that is
grounded on the Biblical principles governing that relationship. Marriage is a
Covenant, a commitment that we intend to carry out through life. All
relationships have their ups and downs. The Covenant is a three-fold
commitment; a commitment to each other, and a commitment to God whose love
informs and strengthens our relationship and commitment. This not only true of
marriage, it is in large part also true of all relationships. Even friends
suffer with friends, and suffer for friends, and ultimately count it a joy.
And to show us that we ought to be under a Superior,
the Psalmist continues, saying: "You have set men over our heads" (Ps
66:12). And those who are patient under hardships and unjust treatment are
fulfilling the command of the Lord by patience also in adversities and injuries.
When struck on the one cheek they turn also the other; the despoiler of their
coat they give their cloak also; and when forced to go one mile they go two (Mt
5:39-41); with the Apostle Paul they bear with false brethren and "bless
those who curse them" (Luke 6:28; Romans 12:14).
St. Benedict returns to the theme of obedience to a
Superior; in this case obedience to a Superior who might even increase our
adversities and injuries. Not all the men, or all women, who have been set over
our heads, are pleasant people. How we treat them while they are our Superiors
is important. To return abuse for abuse is not what St. Benedict has in mind.
Quite the opposite! He does not speak of the options people may have in
changing jobs. That is another issue.
The
Fifth Degree of Humility is, that one does not hide from
his Abbot any of the evil thoughts which rise in his heart, or the evils
committed by him in secret, but humbly confesses them. Concerning this the
Scripture exhorts us, saying: "Commit your way to the Lord and trust in
Him" (Ps 37:5). And it says further: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He
is good, for His mercy endures forever" (Ps 106: 1; Ps 118:1). And the
Prophet likewise says: “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my
iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and
you forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Ps 32:5).
In tight monastic communities everyone is theoretically
heading in the same direction, towards Christ and towards transformation into
His image; at least that is the expectation. Oblates cannot always make that
assumption in parish Churches, or on the job, or in families; so Oblates have a
challenge that has to be tailored to their particular calling.
First, it is important not to have secrets that you have
never shared with someone who is trustworthy. The Book of Common Prayer
recommends that we find “a wise and understanding priest,” The qualification in
interesting because the implication is that not all priests are necessarily
wise and understanding. Humility requires that we have a place of openness. Hiddenness
leads to hiding our flaws beneath unwarranted pride. From “An Exhortation” in
the Book of Common Prayer,
And if, in your preparation, you need help and counsel,
then go and open your grief to a discreet and understanding priest, and confess
your sins, that you may receive the benefit of absolution, and spiritual
counsel and advice; to the removal of scruple and doubt, the assurance of
pardon, and the strengthening of your faith.[iv]
Second, humility is: “Knowing who you are before God, and
knowing your place in His world.”[v]
Self-knowledge is a fundamental part of humility; but so also is the acceptance
that comes from knowing that you are neither better or worse than any other
Christian. One of the features of Confession and Absolution is, that at the end
of the Confession the Priest says, “Go in peace, and pray for me a sinner.”[vi]
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