Welcome to the 11th issue of the Fit Shepherds’ newsletter. Today’s audio podcast includes a short (a little less than 4 minutes) reflection by Chris Vivian, a member of Fit Shepherds from the first workout. He talks about how belonging to the group has helped him grow in his faith.
Meanwhile, today’s content below deals with how pride can often impact our lives in negative ways, while humility is the virtue that acts to overcome any bouts of excessive pride we exhibit at times.
The following is from Fr. Dwight Longenecker:
Some of the problems we think of as pride are really the symptoms of pride. We consider an arrogant person to be proud, but arrogance is one of the outward signs of pride. A person who displays his achievement or wealth, struts his good looks or brags about his victories is displaying the symptoms of pride. But pride is a much deeper problem and its symptoms can be seen in many other less obvious ways. A person who insists on arguing his point and will not listen to anyone else is proud. A person who simply assumes that he is right in his opinions is proud even though he may not strut or be arrogant. A person who can never be corrected, who is always defensive, who always has an excuse or always blames another person, is proud because they cannot be wrong. Ever. At all.
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The following is from St. John Vianney:
Envy, my children, follows pride; whoever is envious is proud. See, envy comes to us from hell; the devil, having sinned through pride, sinned also through envy, envying our glory, our happiness. Why do we envy the happiness and the goods of others? Because we are proud; we should like to be the sole possessors of talents, riches, of the esteem and love of all the world! We hate our equals, because they are our equals; our inferiors, from the fear that they may equal us; our superiors, because they are above us.
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Instead of succumbing to the sin of pride, we have to work on our humility.
From St. John Vianney:
Humility is to the various virtues what the chain is in a rosary: take away the chain and the beads are scattered; remove humility, and all virtues vanish.
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From Archbishop William Bernard Ullathorne:
Humility is the interior, spiritual, sacrificial action through which, with the profoundest veneration and gratitude, we offer to God the being and life we have received from Him, with the desire and prayer that we may die to ourselves and live to Him; that we may be wholly changed and transformed into His likeness, detached from earth and united with God. But as we come to our God from sin and dark ingratitude, we owe more to Him than our being and our life; we owe Him the contrition, the breaking to pieces of our sinful form, with regret and sorrow that we have defiled and defaced His beautiful work; we owe to Him that we throw away every breath of vanity, falsehood and evil.
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Here is a list Mother Teresa kept of ways to cultivate humility for the sisters in her care:
* Speak as little as possible about yourself.
* Keep busy with your own affairs and not those of others.
* Avoid curiosity (she is referring to wanting to know things that should not concern you.)
* Do not interfere in the affairs of others.
* Accept small irritations with good humor.
* Do not dwell on the faults of others.
* Accept censures even if unmerited.
* Give in to the will of others.
* Accept insults and injuries.
* Accept contempt, being forgotten and disregarded.
* Be courteous and delicate even when provoked by someone.
* Do not seek to be admired and loved.
* Do not protect yourself behind your own dignity.
* Give in, in discussions, even when you are right.
* Choose always the more difficult task.
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A prayer to achieve the virtue of humility:
Lord Jesus, when you walked the earth, your humility obscured your Kingship. Your meekness confused the arrogant, hindering them from grasping your purpose or understanding your nobleness in attending to those who were destitute. Teach me to model my thoughts and behavior after yours. Teach me to subject my human nature to humility. Grant me a natural inclination to never view myself greater than anyone. Banish all lingering sparks of self-importance that could elevate me greater than you. Let my heart always imitate your humility. Amen.
