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Part 7: Humility, Love, and Miracles
Lesson 7.1: Humility as the Foundation
of the Spiritual Life
Opening Reflection
In the ascetical life of the Orthodox Fathers, humility is the foundation
upon which all spiritual growth rests. Without humility, every ascetical
practice becomes a source of pride and delusion (false belief). With humility,
even the smallest act or prayer becomes a step toward divine union. The Fathers
teach us that God’s grace dwells only in the humble heart, for humility
opens the soul to receive everything from God.
1. What Is Humility?
Humility (ταπεινοφροσύνη, tapinophrosyne, ትሕትና) is not dishonor or
self-hate. It is the truthful vision of oneself—recognizing our
weakness, nothingness apart from God, and our total dependence on Him.
St. Isaac the Syrian: “The humble man is never hurried, hasty, or nervous,
but at all times remains calm. Nothing can ever surprise him, for he has
already died to the world.”
True humility says with the Apostle Paul:
1 Corinthians 15:10 – “By the grace of God I am what I am.” “ነገር ግን በእግዚአብሔር ጸጋ የሆንሁ እኔ ነኝ ::”
It acknowledges the goodness in oneself as a gift of God, not an
achievement.
2. Christ: The Perfect Model of
Humility
The incarnation (ስጋዌ), the cross,
and the washing of the disciples' feet are the ultimate revelations of
Christ’s humility.
Philippians 2: 5- 8 – “Let this mind be in you which was also in
Christ Jesus... He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death,
even the death of the cross.” “በክርስቶስ ኢየሱስ የነበረ ይህ አሳብ በእናንተ ዘንድ ደግሞ ይሁን። እርሱ በእግዚአብሔር መልክ ሲኖር ሳለ ከእግዚአብሔር ጋር መተካከልን መቀማት እንደሚገባ ነገር አልቈጠረውም፥ ነገር ግን የባሪያን መልክ ይዞ በሰውም ምሳሌ ሆኖ ራሱን ባዶ አደረገ፥ በምስሉም እንደ ሰው ተገኝቶ ራሱን አዋረደ፥ ለሞትም ይኸውም የመስቀል ሞት እንኳ የታዘዘ ሆነ።”
Christ’s humility is not merely a moral example—it is the path of
divine life. To follow Him is to descend in humility and be lifted up by
grace.
St. John Chrysostom: “Humility is the root, mother, nurse, foundation, and
bond of all virtue.”
3. Humility in the Desert Fathers
The desert fathers regarded humility as the highest virtue, often greater
than miracles or visions.
Stories from the Sayings of the Desert
Fathers:
- Abba Poemen said, “As the
breath which comes out of his nostrils, so does a man need humility and
the fear of God.”
- A young monk
once asked Abba Sisoes how to attain humility. The elder replied, “When a
man realizes he is a sinner, that is humility.”
These stories reveal that humility is not theoretical, but
expressed in how one listens, obeys, confesses faults, and accepts
correction.
4. Fruits of Humility
A humble person:
- Does not judge
others, but sees his own sins.
- Is teachable
and obedient, even to those younger or lower.
- Accepts
suffering with patience, trusting in God's mercy.
- Attracts the
grace of the Holy Spirit, who rests in lowly hearts.
James 4:6 – “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” “እግዚአብሔር ትዕቢተኞችን ይቃወማል፥ ለትሑታን ግን ጸጋን ይሰጣል ይላል።”
St. Macarius of Egypt: “The more a man descends into humility, the more the
Lord raises him up.”
5. Humility and the Jesus Prayer
The Jesus Prayer—“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a
sinner”—is the daily confession of humility. It is both a ladder of descent
(recognizing our sinfulness) and a ladder of ascent (drawing nearer to
God’s mercy).
St. Silouan the Athonite: “Keep your mind in hell, and do not
lose hope.”
This paradoxical command is deeply rooted in humility: knowing one’s
worthlessness without losing hope in God’s boundless love.
6. The Hidden Power of Humility
Miracles often followed humble saints, but they themselves escaped
from praise. They knew that humility preserves grace, while pride
causes its departure.
Even devils fear humility:
St. Anthony the Great once said, “I saw the snares (ወጥመዶች) of the devil spread
out on the earth, and I groaned (አቃሰትኩ), ‘Who can pass
these by?’ And I heard a voice saying, ‘Humility.’”
Humility is a spiritual shield, protecting the soul from deception (ማታለል), pride, and
spiritual blindness.
Conclusion
The Orthodox Fathers succeeded in their ascetical life not through
extreme practices alone, but through deep, abiding humility. They knew
they were sinners, and in that acknowledgment, God made them saints.
Their example teaches us that the path to holiness is not upward to
greatness, but downward into truth, where we meet Christ in the depths of
our being.
Matthew 23:12 – “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself
will be exalted.” “ራሱን ከፍ የሚያደርግ ሁሉ ይዋረዳል፥ ራሱንም የሚያዋርድ ሁሉ ከፍ ይላል።”
Reflection Questions
- What signs of
pride or judgment do I see in myself that block grace?
- How can I
imitate Christ’s humility in daily life?
- Do I practice
the Jesus Prayer with the awareness of being a sinner in need of mercy?
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