Fr. Cantalamessa: humility
brings us closer to God, the Truth
In his Lenten meditation on Friday, Fr. Cantalmessa focused
on the importance of humility, not only for personal holiness but also to build
up the community and Church.
By Robin Gomes
According to St. Paul, people are wise when they are humble
and are humble when they are wise, and that a true estimate of ourselves is to
recognize our nothingness. In its most profound meaning, humility belongs
only to Jesus, the Truth, said Capuchin priest Father Raniero
Cantalamessa in his Lenten meditation. The preacher of the papal
household delivers a reflection every Friday during the Lenten
season to Pope Francis and members of the Roman Curia.
God punishes pride as untruth
Speaking about the virtue of Christian humility from
the perspective of St. Paul, Fr. Cantalamessa said that a genuinely humble
person lives according to truth, and God punishes pride because it is untruth,
a lie. By humbling himself, a human being comes closer to the truth,
which is God Himself. According to the reasoning of St. Paul,
the only thing that I have not received, that is completely mine, is sin whose
source is in me and not in God.
When Jesus says, “Without me you can do nothing,” it means
that a true estimate of ourselves is to recognize our nothingness, Fr.
Cantalmessa said. When we examine ourselves and discover the truth that
we are radically proud, which is our fault and not God’s, because we have misused
our freedom, it is indeed humility.
Humility opens up to others
Fr. Cantalamessa recalled St. Angela of Foligno who urged
her sisters to enter the inner cell of our being in order to recognize our
nothingness, not to close ourselves in giving in to self-centeredness and
narcissism, but to open up to others, where we no longer see the defects in our
neighbours.
Mary, model of humility-truth
In this regard, Fr. Cantalmessa said, Mary is the
unsurpassed model of humility-truth. This is evident in her canticle,
the “Magnificat”, which does not speak about her humility but her humble
state. The humility of the Mother of God, who didn’t even exalt herself
above the humblest creature, is indeed a masterpiece of God’s grace.
Those truly humble don’t believe they are humble, and people who think
they are humble are not.
Humility and humiliation
Fr. Cantalmesa went further to say that humility also
entails being humiliated. Our humility is real when we accept reproofs,
corrections, criticism, and humiliations. According to the author of The
Imitation of Christ, when others reproach us knowing our defects, they help us
remain humble. On the other hand, vainglory is condemned by
Jesus who said, “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another
and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
The Capuchin priest also warned that vainglory can transform
even our striving for humility into an act of pride, but with grace we can come
out victorious even from this terrible battle.
Speaking about the “thorn in the flesh” of St. Paul,
he said that all have them. It could be a defect, an illness, a weakness, a
powerlessness, a persisting humiliating temptation or even an unpleasant
person. They all speak about our frailty and demolish our
self-conceit. Humility, he added, is also important for the proper
functioning of the community life and for building up the Church.
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