Untitled - Saints' Books

"
What
INSTR. vi.] Humility. 307
of impatience, and inordinate motives, All our justices are
as the rag of a menstruous woman. 1 Thus, after having
said our Masses, Offices, and prayers, though perhaps
we esteem ourselves more enlightened and rich in
merits, we deserve from the Lord the reproof which he
gave to the bishop in the Apocalypse: Because thou
and knowest not that thou art
sayest : I am rick, . . .
wretched, and miser able, and poor, and blind, and naked? St.
Bernard writes: we need in fervor we should
supply by an humble acknowledgment of our misery."
3
If we know that we are poor and full of faults in the
humble ourselves and con
sight of God, let us at least
fess our miseries. St. Francis Borgia, while a secular,
was advised by a holy man, if he wished to make great
progress in virtue, to reflect every day on his own mis
eries. Hence the saint spent every day the first two
hours of prayer in endeavoring to know and despise
himself. He thus became a saint, and has left us so
many beautiful examples of humility.
St. Augustine says: "God is the supremebeing: humble
thyself and he will descend to thee; but if thou raisest thy
self he will flee from thee." To the humble, God unites
himself and gives the treasures of his graces; but from
the proud he withdraws and flies away: Every proud man
is an abomination to the Lord? The proud man is an
abomination to the Lord. God, says St. James, resisteth
the proud and giveth grace to the humble.* The Lord hears
"Quasi pannus menstruatse, universae justitiae nostrae."
Isa. lxiv.6.
"Dicis:
Quod dives sum; et nescis quia tu es miser, et miserabilis,
et csecus, et nudus."
Apoc. iii. 17.
3 "
Quidquid minus est in te fervoris, humilitas supplebit confessionis."
De Int. Domo, c. 21.
"
4
Altus est Deus. Erigis te, et fugit a te; humilias-te, et descendit
ad te." Serrn. 177, E. B. app.
5 "
Abominatio Domini est omnis arrogans." Prov. xvi. 5.
b "Deus
superbis resistit; humilibus autem dat gratiam." -fames,
iv. 6.