Hello, Catholic Pilgrims. I’m glad you are here with me today. Just a word before we read: I'm back on a Air Force base and the jets are flying all the time. So, sometimes, you'll hear some jet noise in the background. It's the sound of freedom, as we like to say on base, so just enjoy. :)
Before we begin, we need to make sure we understand the terminology from today’s reading. St. Francis is going to be talking about how humility makes us love our own abasement. Now, you may be saying, “Huh?”
When we choose to practice humility, there are certain consequences that may come with it. We may experience abasement. We may be reduced in rank, office, reputation or estimation. The abasement that comes from practicing humility can often be harder to bear than the practice of humility itself. For example, because Our Lord humbled Himself to become one of us and, yet, at the same time claimed His divinity, He suffered at the hands of the Pharisees and Romans. He was ridiculed, hated, rejected, and ultimately killed for His humility.
St. Francis is telling us that we must learn to accept abasement and learn to love the fact that we can suffer for the Lord. That’s some hard stuff, but I think you’ll see as we read that it’s necessary. If we think we are going to practice humility without every experiencing abasement, we are in for a rude awakening.
Let’s go ahead and turn in our books to Chapter Six of the Third Part.
