For the modern man, the virtue of humility is rarely taught. I would even go as far to say that humility in anything is becoming less and less of a desired trait in anyone who has been brought up within western culture in the 21st century. The American ethos is that of rugged individualism. This rugged individualism is the trademark of liberalism that has not so subtly crept into the minds of man of every age since the conception of this great nation of ours. Liberalism puts focus on the individual, which is contrary to the social teaching of the catholic faith. When a person (or a society) aims to be “liberated” from societal norms, government institutions, or God, they make a mad dash to the notion of rugged individualism. We at Catholic Manhood could and probably will write an entire article on ONLY Liberalism in general, but for now I am focusing on it’s relationship (or it’s breakup) with the virtue of humility.

For centuries in the west, we have heard the same ideas of climbing the ladder of success with a tightening of our bootstraps and some good old fashioned American grit. This idea is not bad in and of itself, but when one looks closer at the culture of America, you find that it doesn’t go much deeper than the notion that you get what you work for. Therefore, what you work for becomes who you are as a person and what you are worth as a human being. Money and success become the replacement of God and suffering becomes a punishment merely for doing something bad. Wealth is the ultimate salvation.

I write this article to turn that idea on its head and to help the virtue of humility make a comeback as a desired characteristic in the American psyche. God is not dead, nor will He ever be. And we have certainly not killed him, as much as our ancestors and founding fathers have acclaimed.

What Is Humility?

The definition of humility in the catholic sense is this; the moral virtue that keeps a person from reaching beyond himself.

It is the virtue that restrains the unruly desire for personal greatness and leads people to an orderly love of themselves based on a true appreciation for their position with respect to God and their neighbors. Religious humility recognizes one’s total dependence on God.

Moral humility recognizes one’s creaturely equality with others. It is not only opposed to pride, but also to immoderate self-abjection which would fail to recognize God’s gifts and use them according to His Will.

For a man (especially a modern man) humility does not come naturally. We are filled with pride, testosterone and have a natural proclivity to compete with other men. Competition and our testosterone are not bad, but when they are disordered due to pride, they become an obstacle for our salvation. Humility signifies lowliness / submissiveness. Submissive?! Why on earth would any man look to become submissive, much less desire that to be a virtue one holds? Please read further for an explanation.

Humility is derived from the latin humilitas. St. Thomas Aquinas spoke of humus, which is latin for the earth or ground beneath. Through time, this word has taken on a negative connotation. When it is applied to people or things- such as a humble birth or humble dwelling, it usually means that they or the home is not worth much. Humility can also be understood in a suffering aspect though. To be “humiliated” is causing pain and suffering in a physical or emotional way by something or someone else. In the ethical sense, it is experienced when a man realizes a modest estimate of his self-worth and submits himself to others. The ethical sense that I just listed is the frame that I will be hammering down in the rest of this article, because it is the most proper sense of the phrase to humble oneself. To submit to another is difficult for a man, especially for those with a type A personality.

To get a proper grasp of the act of submission, let us first show why it is more difficult in the modern time we live in to succeed in this aspect. For one, we live in a postmodern era, where the general consensus is that mankind is where the buck stops. We control our own destiny and we answer only to ourselves instead of a higher being. So to say that we need to submit to another is to say that God must submit to another, which is a ridiculous notion. The truth is though, we are not where the buck stops. We do not answer to ourselves. We answer to our Creator. We answer to God. In order to even begin to gain an ounce of humility, our culture, starting with each individual person, has to properly reorder our mind to that of total submission to God.

St. Bernard defines humility as “a virtue by which a man knowing himself as he truly is, abases himself.”

So who are we? What is our worth? Truthfully it is not nearly as much as advertised. We mean very little comparatively. No matter what you say, think, read or do, makes you no better than any other man on the street. We try so desperately to separate ourselves from the “normal” man that we become jaded by the alluring calls of success and wealth, which I must add that I believe those two terms are not synonymous. We are nothing without God. We are given nothing without God. No matter how hard you think you worked for something, do not thank yourself. Thank Him. Submit to his Will in suffering and in peace.

St. Thomas Aquinas says humility consists in keeping oneself within one’s own bounds, not reaching to things above one, but submitting to one’s superior.

If you really don’t want to take my word for it, take those saints’ words for it. There are countless quotes from male and female saints regarding humility and submitting to God. Perhaps in matters concerning salvation, humility is….a necessity! But these saints didn’t just come up with the idea of humility as a virtue themselves. As we will see, it mentions explicitly in the Holy Bible the importance of this virtue.

“That we may know the things that are given us from God.” (1Corinthians 2:12)

“God resisteth the proud and giveth his grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

“Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart; and you shall find rest to your souls.” (Mt. 11:29)

“Lord my heart is not exalted; my eyes are not lifted up and I have not walked in the ways of great nor gone after marvels beyond me.” (Ps 130 [131]:1)

For a moment, I would like to focus on the third verse listed above from the book of Matthew.

“Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart; and you shall find rest to your souls.”

Jesus Christ said that. God incarnate, our Lord and Savior who walked on this earth and died so that many will be saved took on this characteristic. To be humble then, I would argue, should be one of the utmost desired traits to gain as a man. We are called to be Christ. We are called to be the light in this world for others so that they may be brought to Him and so that others may be brought to salvation.

So as a man, if you want to walk upright, if you want to be a beacon of light in this world, if you look to oppose pride and vainglory, then pray for the grace of humility. Kneel before the crucifix and gaze at the humility of the lamb of God.

There will always be obstacles to faith and humility is said to be the foundation of the spiritual edifice. It removes these obstacles of faith and although it may not be considered the highest virtue, it can be considered the FIRST virtue. To be humble is a necessity for salvation. Until you, my fellow men, bend the knee to God, you will not get an inch closer to attaining one of the true values crucial to being a good catholic man. More importantly, salvation will glide right under your feet simply because you chose to put yourself on a pedestal. To soften your heart is to become strong.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam