The Healing Journey

November 25, 2024

Jesus often said the beginning of spiritual growth is humility, and it is something that the saints have practiced throughout history. Books have been written about this fundamental virtue, and yet we know so little about it. And we live in a world that doesn’t value it, a world that suffers from an epidemic of narcissism, which is evident in so many ways — selfie photos, self-praise on social media, self-obsession in our relationships, and the opinion that our “rights” should take precedence over everything else. That hardly represents what the man who said, “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart,” would want us to be.

So when it comes to humility, let’s learn from the master — Mother Teresa. She accomplished more good for humanity than any world leader and any celebrity and any person of authority and influence. Here’s what she said about learning to be humble:

“These are the few ways we can practice humility:
To speak as little as possible of one’s self.
To mind one’s own business.
Not to want to manage other people’s affairs.
To avoid curiosity.
To accept contradictions and correction cheerfully.
To pass over the mistakes of others.
To accept insults and injuries.
To accept being slighted, forgotten and disliked.
To be kind and gentle even under provocation.
Never to stand on one’s dignity.
To choose always the hardest.”

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