Citizenship and Humility

How does one navigate between the concept of a noble experiment in human freedom such as the English pilgrim’s attempt to extricate their lives from oppressive government rule to today’s effort to subject America to another oppressive subjugation to government rule? As a child of the 1950’s and 1960’s I became enamored and was educated in the heroic effort of Englishmen, disenchanted with English rule, hoping to form a greater society where human freedom was fused with the greater good in a way that gave equal respect to both. But I find the concept of “equal respect” unable to find a foothold in current, bias filled cultural attitudes. Many people seek to defend their beliefs at any cost in spite of obvious facts that that do not support them. I say facts not arguments. Truth is not a consideration, only the degree to which a particular spin can be placed on the facts and at times regardless of the facts. All arguments are attributed to bias and conspiracy. When will we understand that peace requires a willingness to see in those who disagree with us elements of truth in their positions? When will we have the humility to admit to the flaws in our own positions? In our Constitutional Republic we assign this task to our elected representatives. We ask them to consider the welfare of all citizens by seeking truth in humility. It is appalling to see the low level to which this principle is applied by our leadership. The most successful and well-endowed country in history deserves much better.

We can take some lessons from St. Bernard. I’m just sayin’.  

It is rather that faith will sometimes gain what prayer hardly dares ask.

 

St. Bernard characterizes one who has reached the highest step to humility, and in contrast one who has abandoned humility. “The just man who has climbed all the steps of humility runs on to life with a ready heart and with the ease of good habit; the evil man who has dropped down to the bottom is ruled by evil habit, and, unchecked by fear he runs boldly on to death. … hurried, unresisting, by the downward pull of cupidity.”

He then intimates that prayer may not help such a one by quoting the first letter of John.

“If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God, and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray.” 1 Jn 5:16

Recognizing the apparent lack of hope in John’s statement St. Bernard feels the need to explain.

“What then, O Blessed Apostle, is he to despair?"

"'I can give you an example of one who believed and hoped even when the case seemed to be beyond prayer. ‘Lord,’ she said, ‘If you had been there my brother would have not died.’ She must have had faith, a strong faith …. ‘But even now I know that whatever you ask from God he will give to you.”’

Citing this example of Martha’s deep faith, St Bernard makes this point, “It is rather that faith will sometimes gain what prayer hardly dares ask.”

He continues: “We are praying, praying all the better when we voice no prayer. We trust all the more strongly when we seem to doubt. We show our faith, we show our love; and he who needs no telling knows what we desire.”

St. Bernard: Poetry as Prose - Prose as Poetry

 At times the writings of St. Bernard can be dense with theological significance. When reading the English translations of his work there is a sense that even the translator is uncertain of the meanings St. Bernard wished to convey. At other times the prose, translated to English, flows so well one can easily appreciate its poetic qualities. One such example is in his book, The Steps of Humility and Pride, Section VIII:21*. When reading the prose it cannot be helped but to notice the lyrical and musical phrasing. 

At the risk of exposing my lack of poetic acumen, I've taken the liberty to versify a portion of this paragraph. The footnotes to the text have been omitted for clarity, but the last stanza exudes the ambiance of the Song of Songs. 

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The Son of God, the Word and Wisdom of the Father, 

Mercifully assumed to himself human reason, the first of our powers.

He found it oppressed by the flesh, Held captive by sin, blinded by ignorance.

Distracted by outward things. He raised it by his might, taught it by his wisdom,

Drew it to things interior.

 

More wonderfully still, he delegated to it His own power of Judge.

To judge is the proper act of Truth and in this it shared, 

When out of reverence for the Word to which it is joined

It became accuser, witness and judge against itself.

 

Humility had been born from the union of the Word with human reason.

Then the Holy Spirit lovingly visited the second power, the will;

He found it rotten with the infection of the flesh,

But already judged by reason.

 

Gently he cleansed it, made it burn with affection,

Made it merciful until, like a skin made pliable by oil

It would spread abroad the heavenly oil of love even to its enemies.

The union of the Holy Spirit with the human will give[s] birth to charity.

 

See how this perfect soul, its two powers, The reason and the will,

Without spot and wrinkle, the reason instructed by the Word of Truth,

The will inflamed by Truth’s Spirit; sprinkled with the hyssop of humility,

Fired with the flame of charity; cleansed from spot by humility,

smoothed of wrinkle by charity; the reason never shrinking from the truth,

the will never striving against reason.

 

And this blessed soul the Father binds to himself as his own glorious bride.  

Now reason is no longer preoccupied with itself  and the will is no longer concerned with other men;

For this blessed soul all is lost in one delight: “The King has led me into his chamber.”

She learned humility in the school of the Son; she was led by the Holy Spirit

From the school of humility to the storehouse of charity.

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*THE STEPS OF HUMILITY AND PRIDE, CISTERTIAN PUBLICATIONS INC., 1973

Stepwise Way to Self Improvement

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Oh, how we like to have it all laid out for us. In order to (insert objective here) step one is ....

This stepwise means to attain a goal is nothing new. St. Bernard uses the method frequently.

The following is from his short book, The Steps of Humility & Pride.*

p. 34.6

There are three degrees in the perception of truth…. We must look for truth in ourselves: in our neighbors; in itself. We look for truth in ourselves when we judge ourselves;[50] in our neighbors when we have sympathy for their sufferings;[51] in itself when we contemplate it with a clean heart.[52]

p.47.19

These are the three steps of truth. We climb to the first through the toil of humility, to the second by a deep feeling of compassion, and to the third by the ecstasy of contemplation. On the first step we experience the severity of truth, on the second its tenderness, on the third its purity. Reason brings us to the first as we judge ourselves; compassion brings us to the second when we have mercy on others; on the third the purity of truth sweeps us up to the sight of things invisible.

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[50] 1 Cor 11:31   [51] 1 Cor 12:26   [52] Mt 5:7-8

*THE STEPS OF HUMILITY AND PRIDE, CISTERTIAN PUBLICATIONS INC., 1973

Humility Defined

 Some thoughts from The Steps of Humility and Pride by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Quoting from p. 30:

“2. To define humility: Humility is a virtue by which a man has a low opinion of himself because he knows himself well.”

In a note the translator cites a caveat pertinent to this definition: “For Bernard, humility is truth, the low opinion of self must be based on fact.” In a letter to Abbot Baldwin St. Bernard stated, “Humility is not praiseworthy when it is not in accordance with the facts.”

St. Bernard was certainly a pious man, a talented man, a gifted leader. His contemporaries, the monks he shepherded, his fellow Abbots, and even the Popes of his day went to him for spiritual guidance and leadership. How is it then that he could honestly assess his abilities and still have a low opinion of himself?

The only way these apparently contradictory positions can be true is if he does not consider those gifts to be his but to be enabled by the grace of God and therefore belong to God. Once that realization takes hold then a low opinion of ones-self is easy to assume. What do we have that has not been given to us? If we compare ourselves to our God how can any one consider himself other than very low?

Quoting St. Augustine from Confessions:

“Men pay You more than is of obligation to win return from You,

yet who has anything that is not already Yours?”

THE STEPS OF HUMILITY AND PRIDE, CISTERTIAN PUBLICATIONS INC., 1973

“The Steps of Humility and Pride” Bernard of Clairvaux

 

The text I've shown in bold below is my emphasis and it describes one of the reasons why I take such gratification in reading the works of St. Bernard. The term "Black Monks" references the Order of St. Benedict, called such because of the color of their robes.

From “The Steps of Humility and Pride” Bernard of Clairvaux, ISBN 978-0-87907-115-8

Introduction, pp. 23-24

"The reason for this popularity is within the treatise itself. As we have seen, it is rich in humor; everyone can enjoy a bit of satire. It is perhaps the work of Bernard that is easiest to read. Again, every man can find himself within it. It stoops down to the lowest sinner. But it not only stoops down, it points him toward the most sublime heights. There is hope for all.

Its attractiveness for many though, most fundamentally, lies in the fact that the author truly exemplifies what he teaches and with extraordinary literary skill conveys this effectively to the reader. The reader senses that Bernard has looked deeply into himself, knows himself and approaches the reader, his fellow man, with deep understanding and true compassion. The young Bernard has already come to love all men and in the sublime vision of man which he has seen in God he has a deeper respect and a greater appreciation for the greatness of each than most men have for themselves. As Bernard meets each on the rung of misery and pride on which he is presently lodged he does not fail to assure the poor wretch that he is not alone and that he has every reason to hope for great things. Every degree of pride has its corresponding degree of humility. If Bernard's satire is at times a bit stinging, and here we perhaps perceive some of the yet un-mellowed zeal of youth, there is such good humor in it that we can enjoy it, just as the Black Monks of his time so enjoyed the Apologia.  Although he may not naturally use Bernard's terminology every man finds within himself some of the experiences Bernard so graphically depicts. What is more, he quickly identifies his own deepest longings in Bernard's description of the goal: the freedom of truth, universal love, the experience of the Transcendent God. Bernard's straight forward assurance, his calm witness that God really cares, is personally involved in man's strivings and fulfillment is like a cool mountain breeze wafted across a placid lake into a city of feverish activity. It is immensely refreshing and offers one life and hope; it lifts eyes to the mountains and draws one out beyond the hustle to serene heights where he can perceive deeper meanings and experience true hope. Bernard very effectively communicates to his reader the invitation to glory in his infirmities for therein lies true strength and the hope of unending glory, meaning, fulfillment.

Enough has been said by way of introduction. Let the reader now proceed to the text and enjoy it to the full. For it offers him not only passing enjoyment, but, if he would have it, a way to a fuller—the fullest possible life and happiness."

M. Basil Pennington ocso

St Joseph's Abbey

Spencer, Massachusetts

 

Two Kinds of humility - While the king was upon his couch, my spikenard gave forth its fragrance

 

"While the king was upon his couch, my spikenard gave forth its fragrance." Song 1:12 NRSV

Following this quote from the post of November 14, are quotes from Sermons, 42.6-7.

“You see then how great the evils from which a man delivers both himself and me when he responds with meekness on being corrected, submits respectfully, obeys modestly, and humbly admits his fault. To a man like this I shall in all things be a debtor, I shall minister to and serve him as a genuine lover of my Lord, for he is one who can truly say: "while the king was on his couch, my nard gave forth its fragrance.”

From the citing of this verse St. Bernard takes exegetical flight and expresses a theological reflection on the spiritual meaning he sees in this verse.

“How good the fragrance of humility that ascends from the valley of tears, that permeates all places within reach, and perfumes even the royal couch with its sweet delight.

The nard is an insignificant herb, said by those who specialize in the study of plants to be of a warm nature. Hence it seems to be fittingly taken in this place for the virtue of humility, but aglow with the warmth of holy love. I say this because there is a humility inspired and inflamed by charity, and a humility begotten in us by truth but devoid of warmth. This latter depends on our knowledge, the former on our affections. For if you sincerely examine your inward dispositions in the light of truth, and judge them unflatteringly for what they are, you will certainly be humiliated by the baseness that this true knowledge reveals to you, though you perhaps as yet cannot endure that, others too, should see this image so far it is truth that compels your humility, it is as yet untouched by the inpouring of love. But if you were so moved by a love of that truth which, like a radiant light, so wholesomely discovered to you the reality of your condition, you would certainly desire, as far as in you lies, that the opinions of others about you should correspond with what you know of yourself. I say, as far as in you lies, because it is often inexpedient to make known to others all that we know about ourselves, and we are forbidden by the very love of truth and the truth of love to attempt to reveal what would injure another. But if under the impulse of selflove you inwardly conceal the true judgment you have formed of yourself, who can doubt that you lack a love for truth, since you show preference for your own interest and reputation?

7. Convicted by the light of truth then, a man may judge himself of little worth, but you know this is far from the equivalent of a spontaneous association with the lowly that springs from the gift of love. Necessity compels the former, the latter is of free choice. "He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and so gave us the pattern of humility. He emptied himself, he humbled himself, not under constraint of an assessment of himself but inspired by love for us. Though he could appear abject and despicable in men's eyes, he could not judge himself to be so in reality, because he knew who he was. It was his will, not his judgment, that moved him to adopt a humble guise that he knew did not represent him; though not unaware that he was the highest he chose to be looked on as the least. And so we find him saying: ''Learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart. "He said “in heart;" in the affection of the heart, which signifies the will, and a decision arising from the will excludes compulsion. You and I truly know that we deserve disgrace and contempt, that we deserve the worst treatment and the lowest rank, that we deserve punishment, even the whip; but not he. Yet he experienced all these things because he willed it; he was humble in heart, humble with that humility that springs from the heart's love, not that which is exacted by truthful reasoning.

CISTERCIAN FATHERS SERIES: NUMBER SEVEN - BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX - Song of Songs II