We are all familiar with the well-loved and often quoted verse from the prophet Micah: He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk hum-bly with your God? (Micah 6:8). We usually then pro-ceed to mount our soapboxes for our favorite cause concerning social justice or charitable acts. Very rarely do weexplore the implications of “walk hum-bly”, perhaps because the “humbly” part is not at all popular in the culture of 21st century America.
The Hebrew root of the word translated “humbly”, tsana, describes a lifestyle that is not proud, not self-willed, and not arrogant. Humbly means that we are not primarily preoccupied with ourselves and how thing look for us; instead, we focus on people other than ourselves, and think about the concerns of others.
Walking humbly means emulating St John the Baptist, who said: “He must increase, but I must de-crease” (John 3:30). Walking humbly means emulat-ing Jesus, who “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death” (Phil 2:8).
Humility involves practicing the art of listening to another: I forget myself for a few moments and actu-ally focus on hearing what another person is saying to me, and the cares and experiences behind their words. It involves listening to God: I stop reviewing what I think I need and actually listen to what God is saying to me through his Word.
I commend to our use an old Litany of Humility that asks for our Lord’s assistance in humbly following in His footsteps and casting aside, or at least offering up to Him, all those nagging doubts and fears that come with our self-centeredness:
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus. (repeat after each line)
From the desire of being loved,
From the desire of being extolled,
From the desire of being honored,
From the desire of being praised,
From the desire of being preferred to others,
From the desire of being consulted,
From the desire of being approved,
From the fear of being humiliated,
From the fear of being despised,
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
From the fear of being calumniated,
From the fear of being forgotten,
From the fear of being ridiculed,
From the fear of being wronged,
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, Jesus.
This 1963 prayer by Cardinal del Val, secretary of state to Pope Saint Pius X from the prayer book for Jesuits, puts us in tune with our Lord’s famous Gospel message “He who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt 23:12). We will then be equipped to take the first step in our humble walk with our God.
— Angie Forde, OblSB
