EACH MONTH IN THE 12 STEPS OF HUMILITY WE ARE CLIMBING SAINT BENEDICT’S LADDER OF HUMILITY. WITH EACH RUNG WE COME CLOSER TO THE PERFECT LOVE OF GOD.
The ladder is our life on earth, if we humble our heart God will raise it to heaven. ~ St. Benedict
THE SEVENTH STEP OF HUMILITY:
A monk not only admits with [her] tongue but believes in [her] heart that others are better than she is.
It is good for me that I was humbled so that I might learn your statutes. ~ Psalm 119:71
Again the ancient language of Saint Benedict goes against our grain and everything we are taught today. But without a doubt the Rule is Biblical!
This radical self-examination, seeing ourselves as inferior to others is not to be done in a self-deprecating, undervalued way.
When we can find joy in seeing the value of others over ourselves we allow ourselves to be teachable.
“Once we stop pretending to be what we know we are not, we are free to except ourselves and except others as well… In this acceptance of our own meager virtues and our own massive failures, we have a chance to understand the failures of others. We have the opportunity to become kind.” ~ Joan Chittister*
The seventh step on Benedict’s ladder of humility is asking us to make room for personal growth.
RESOURCES:
Twelve Steps to Inner Freedom: Humility Revisited by Joan Chittister*
A Guide to Living in the Truth: Saint Benedict’s Teaching on Humility by Michael Casey
Saint Benedict’s Toolbox: The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living by Jane Tomaine
The Rule of Saint Benedict edited by Timothy Fry
Image credit: ximagination / 123RF Stock Photo
