Monday, April 14, 2008

Humility

The first kind of humility:  This is the kind that is necessary for my eternal salvation, and consists in subjecting and humbling myself, as far as I can, so that I obey the law of God our Lord in everything; so much so that even if I were made the lord of all created things in this world, or even if my own life on this earth were at stake, I would not deliberately set about breaking any law, whether divine or human, that obliges me under the pain of mortal sin.

The second kind of humility:  The second is more perfect than the first.  I have it if I find myself at a point where I do not desire, nor even prefer, to be rich rather than poor, to seek fame rather than disgrace, to desire a long rather than a short life, provided it is the same for the service of God and the good of my soul; and along with this I would not deliberately set about committing a venial sin, even for the whole of creation or under threat to my own life.

The third kind of humility:  This is the most perfect humility.  It is present when - given that the first and second kinds are included, and supposing equal praise and glory of the divine majesty - in order to imitate Christ our Lord and to be actually more like him, I want and choose poverty with Christ poor rather than wealth, and ignominy with Christ in great ignominy rather than fame, and I desire more to be thought a fool and an idiot for Christ, who was taken to be such, rather than thought wise and prudent in this world.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola

-Saint Ignatius (1556) was the founder of the Society of Jesus.

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