Humility: Low & Grounded

Humility and Humiliation:      

               I always found it interesting that humility and humiliation are so close in spelling and yet are two completely different words. Humiliation has a negative connotation because it is based on other people judging the one who is humiliated. Humility is usually seen with a positive connotation because it takes strength and vulnerability to be humble.

               After a quick Google search, I read that the root for words that begin in ‘hum’ come from the Latin humus, meaning 'Earth' or 'ground'. Also, the root of humble is humilis, meaning 'low'. Both phrases are believed to have been started during the 1300s. That’s just interesting to think about how those roots are referenced to language that we use today. We bow low to show a sign of respect. We keep grounded to remain focused.

Where This All Came From:

                I had experienced great humility during Mass a couple of  Sundays ago (February 9^th). I had just recently posted a blog article about stealing (check the link on the side). I only realized I had posted it too early while during the Homily at Mass. The priest talked about the word sharing used in the first reading in Isaiah (Is. 58: 7). He talked about how sharing means giving from what we have, not just the extra, but even the things that are not extra. For example, if all I had available for lunch was a loaf of bread, sharing would mean letting other people have some of my bread too. In my other post I had talked about my need to give more of my extra stuff, but I never touched on giving even when I don't have extra.

                At a Bible Study I was helping facilitate in Helena, there was a woman named Kelsey. We had gotten into a discussion about tithing (giving 10% of monthly income to the collection basket at Mass). Kelsey shared her struggles with tithing and giving money charitably. She referenced Blessed Mother Teresa who said to give until it hurts. Kelsey said she knew that she had to give financially until it hurts and at the same time she was aware of moments when she did not or when she struggled with that giving.

              We are all called to give until it hurts. It's a very humbling moment to have a low food budget and yet giving part of the meal to those who ask for it or need it more. Yet, the kicker is that God will provide for us even when we share when we don't have extra. There's always a part of me that wants to be in control of the way my life, which involves holding onto possessions or food or things that I feel like I can't part with because I don't have extra of it. I'm not being humble and sacrificing for the people around me if I don't let go of control and give when it's hard to give.

Litany of Humility:

A couple nights ago, my teammate Austin led team prayer in which he had us reflect on the Litany of Humility. The person praying the Litany is asking God to deliver them from a feeling or obstacle that is keeping them from becoming more humble as well as asking for the grace to desire blessings upon others. At the beginning of the prayer, I was asking for a greater ability to put God first in my life. I am aware that God and His will needs to be the primary priority in my life. However, I started out asking to put myself second, to be the next priority under God. Then as the prayer continued I began to realize that I did not perceive the situation correctly. I should not be secondary, I should be in last place. If I truly loved and cared for people like God calls me to, then not only should God be my top priority, but then the needs of all the people in my life should be secondary. If I am really humble, I should be my last priority. If I want to grow in humility, then I need to lower myself for the sake of humanity (another 'hum' word).

I Don't Know Everything:

            Let me take a moment to grow in humility. I do not know everything there is to know about the world. I am not the smartest or wisest person there is and I know that. When I write this blog, I'm not trying to be a know-it-all or make it seem like I fully understand people. Everything is this blog contains my thoughts and it stems from my experiences in life and the way I grew up, which is different from other people's experiences and lives. What I try to do in this blog is better understand truth and present it in a style that is my own. I am a Catholic man and so the topics I write about often revolve around either Catholicism or manhood (sometimes both). A lot of the things I write about are things that I have learned from other Catholic men who are wiser and more experienced than I am. 

          Thank you for reading these blog posts and letting me share my thoughts with you.