Untitled - Saints' Books

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320 Material for Instructions. [PART n.
for a considerable fault, which consisted in going about
idly to the cells of the other monks instead of remaining
in his own, according to his rule. The monk became
instantly agitated, so as to manifest externally the dis
turbed state of his interior. The abbot said to him:
son, hitherto you have declared that you deserved
nothing but opprobrium, and why are you now so in
dignant at a word of charity that I have said to ?"
you
The same happens to many who would wish to be
esteemed humble, but are unwilling to suffer any
humiliation. There is, says Ecclesiasticus, one who humbleth
himself wickedly, and his interior is full of deceit. 1
St. Bernard has said that to seek praise from humility
is not humility, but the destruction of humility. 2 To
seek praise from humility only foments pride by the
desire of being reputed humble. He who is truly
humble has a low opinion of himself, and wishes others
to think of him as he thinks himself.
is humble,"
says St. Bernard,
converts humiliations into
:
The truly humble man, when treated with
humility."
contempt, humbles himself still more, and acknowledges
that he justly deserves the humiliation.
Finally, let us bear in mind that unless we are humble
we shall not only do no good, but we shall not be saved.
Unless you . . . become as little children, you shall not enter
into the kingdom of heaven." In order, then, to enter into
the kingdom of heaven, we must become children, not
in age, but in humiljty. St. Gregory says that as pride
is a sign of reprobation, so humility is a mark of pre-
1 "
Est qui nequiter humiliat se, et interiora ejus plena sunt dolo."
Ecclus. xix. 23.
2
"Appetere de humilitate laudem, humilitatis est, non virtus, sed
subversio." In Cant. s. 16.
3 "
Est humilis, qui humiliationem convertit in humilitatem." Ib.
s. 34.
4 "Nisi conversi fueritis, et efficiamini sicut parvuli non intrabitis
in regnum coelorum." Matth. xviii. 3.