Some things I regularly read, because I know the articles will inform and challenge me. Among many I read, the National Catholic Reporter is one I began regularly reading years ago. Part of the drive to read this one consistently is to expose myself to the people and issues in the contemporary Catholic world. I have many Catholic friends and I like the Catholic Church, so I want to know what’s going on in that tradition. And of course, the Pope---whoever he is over the years---is going to be in the news and, often, making the news.
One of the regular writers for NCR is Bishop Thomas Gumbelton, retired Bishop of Detroit. I like how he thinks and how he presents issues in a way that I have to think about them
differently than I might. I have never met him, but would very much like to do so. Recently, he wrote a piece on humility. I found it to be helpful and would like to share some with you.
Gumbleton thinks many of the lessons of the day are meant to teach us humility. On the surface, we can agree, but we need more to see how he is thinking and make up our minds. The retired Bishop says humility “… is somewhat of a difficult virtue to understand, but like most virtues the virtue is in the middle.” By this he means either extreme of humility is no longer a virtue. Pride sticks out on one end and the other end is where we are too self-judging and hard on ourselves. That makes sense.
He then gets at the heart of humility and this is what I want to share. He begins with a definition. “Humility is an attempt to see ourselves as we really are, to see ourselves as gifted people made by God with virtues and gifts that we can nurture and develop.” This sentence is rich with ideas, so let’s unpack it and make sure we grasp the essence of humility. Humility is seeing ourselves as we really are. This sounds simple and I am tempted to think I already do this.
But if I am honest and someone were to ask me, “So, who are you really?” I probably would stumble a little. As I prepare to answer this, I realize it might be more difficult than I thought to be honest! If I am honest, I may realize I lean too much toward the pride end of the humility spectrum. Unless I am honest, I might think I am really good, too much of a hot shot, too handsome, etc. Others honestly have a difficult time seeing themselves as they really are. They fall off toward the other end of the spectrum. They are too hard on themselves and too self-deprecating. They are not very smart, not very good looking, etc.
The charge of humility is to see ourselves as we really are. We may need to become more introspective to ponder this. We probably will do better if we include a friend or mentor to help us be reflective and honest. We might need a bit of discipline in our lives to develop ourselves spiritually to become the person we aspire to become. We might need some additional knowledge, but more than likely most of us need to apply what we already know. It’s not easy being real.
I suspect Gumbleton knew the power of that question: Do we really know who we are? And when we come to know that, his next point is very good. He tells us, “We should have respect for that (our real self) and never put ourselves down or have a sense of self-worth, pride in ourselves…” This is good advice. Now I want to practice that in my own daily life. I want to practice being honest with who I really am. And I want to become even more true and deep with that self.
Next Gumbleton quips that we should “always remember that whatever gifts we have, they are from God.” Again this sounds so simplistic. But there are two levels that may be stumbling blocks for us. The first stumbling block is I may not think that my gifts are from God. I know many folks who would not think this is true. I am sure in my head I would say I believe it. But practically speaking, I am not sure I actually live it. I can pretend that I developed my gifts on my own. Or I assume some folks don’t even think they have gifts. Once more, I want to spend some time in reflection to be able to own my own beliefs. I think God has given me gifts and I want to own this as my practical choice.
Then comes Gumbleton’s final point. Bluntly he tells us, “If we're grateful for those gifts and nurture them, then we are being humble.” He suggests here a two-stage process. Become grateful for the gifts I have. And then, nurture them. To be grateful means I become aware and take time. I become aware of my gifts. And I take the time to nurture them.
I like this because it assumes I can develop---grow---my gifts. I can become even more effective. I can become even more of a force for God. Basically, I can nurture who I really am and become even more of a person. This is exciting
And I will be humble. That is a relief to me and all those around me.
One of the regular writers for NCR is Bishop Thomas Gumbelton, retired Bishop of Detroit. I like how he thinks and how he presents issues in a way that I have to think about them
differently than I might. I have never met him, but would very much like to do so. Recently, he wrote a piece on humility. I found it to be helpful and would like to share some with you.
Gumbleton thinks many of the lessons of the day are meant to teach us humility. On the surface, we can agree, but we need more to see how he is thinking and make up our minds. The retired Bishop says humility “… is somewhat of a difficult virtue to understand, but like most virtues the virtue is in the middle.” By this he means either extreme of humility is no longer a virtue. Pride sticks out on one end and the other end is where we are too self-judging and hard on ourselves. That makes sense.
He then gets at the heart of humility and this is what I want to share. He begins with a definition. “Humility is an attempt to see ourselves as we really are, to see ourselves as gifted people made by God with virtues and gifts that we can nurture and develop.” This sentence is rich with ideas, so let’s unpack it and make sure we grasp the essence of humility. Humility is seeing ourselves as we really are. This sounds simple and I am tempted to think I already do this.
But if I am honest and someone were to ask me, “So, who are you really?” I probably would stumble a little. As I prepare to answer this, I realize it might be more difficult than I thought to be honest! If I am honest, I may realize I lean too much toward the pride end of the humility spectrum. Unless I am honest, I might think I am really good, too much of a hot shot, too handsome, etc. Others honestly have a difficult time seeing themselves as they really are. They fall off toward the other end of the spectrum. They are too hard on themselves and too self-deprecating. They are not very smart, not very good looking, etc.
The charge of humility is to see ourselves as we really are. We may need to become more introspective to ponder this. We probably will do better if we include a friend or mentor to help us be reflective and honest. We might need a bit of discipline in our lives to develop ourselves spiritually to become the person we aspire to become. We might need some additional knowledge, but more than likely most of us need to apply what we already know. It’s not easy being real.
I suspect Gumbleton knew the power of that question: Do we really know who we are? And when we come to know that, his next point is very good. He tells us, “We should have respect for that (our real self) and never put ourselves down or have a sense of self-worth, pride in ourselves…” This is good advice. Now I want to practice that in my own daily life. I want to practice being honest with who I really am. And I want to become even more true and deep with that self.
Next Gumbleton quips that we should “always remember that whatever gifts we have, they are from God.” Again this sounds so simplistic. But there are two levels that may be stumbling blocks for us. The first stumbling block is I may not think that my gifts are from God. I know many folks who would not think this is true. I am sure in my head I would say I believe it. But practically speaking, I am not sure I actually live it. I can pretend that I developed my gifts on my own. Or I assume some folks don’t even think they have gifts. Once more, I want to spend some time in reflection to be able to own my own beliefs. I think God has given me gifts and I want to own this as my practical choice.
Then comes Gumbleton’s final point. Bluntly he tells us, “If we're grateful for those gifts and nurture them, then we are being humble.” He suggests here a two-stage process. Become grateful for the gifts I have. And then, nurture them. To be grateful means I become aware and take time. I become aware of my gifts. And I take the time to nurture them.
I like this because it assumes I can develop---grow---my gifts. I can become even more effective. I can become even more of a force for God. Basically, I can nurture who I really am and become even more of a person. This is exciting
And I will be humble. That is a relief to me and all those around me.
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