Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 8)
Instead we should take as our model for imitation the Lord himself when he says: I have come not to indulge my own desires but to do the will of him who sent me. (From para. 8 of Ch. 7 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
I don't understand humility to be pathetic self-abasement. Instead, I understand it as choosing martyrdom, in the true sense, as Jesus did. Perhaps it's too grand to say that I "choose martyrdom". But I do choose to discern the most redemptive path, which is always God's will.
What meditation is teaching me is being here in the present moment. Do I take that teaching with me when I leave the meditation seat and move into daily living? What would I rather be doing than what I am doing right now? Where would I rather be than where I am? These are questions of desire among many others that push the will and love of God out of my life who desires my every good in the present moment. To love who I am and what I am doing right now is humility for me.
ReplyDelete“The humility of God in allowing himself to be loved in the man Jesus is the cue for recognizing the basic structure of reality. Our first step in loving God is to allow ourselves to be loved.” (John Main, “Monastery Without Walls” Kindle loc4226). What a love adventure you have invited me to, today, Abba. Let’s do it!
ReplyDeleteOh Lord, despite the temptation and despite myself, Thy will be done.
ReplyDelete