HUMILITY HEALS PAIN

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Mt 11: 29)

Self-reliance and self-centeredness lead to various forms of pain, fear, and frustration, - with myself, with others, and life in general. I ultimately become self-isolated and incapable of any true relationship. Humility, on the other hand, softly moves me out of myself and opens me up to a real relationship with God, myself, and others. I can more easily ask for help when I need it; more easily let go of resentments; see my role in conflicts, and accept others and myself in God’s light. I can take a step back, or just duck under the wave, so to say, when necessary.

And by humility I don’t mean: wallowing in my shortcomings, pretending to be wrong when I’m not, or constantly demanding the unreasonable or even impossible from myself. That is not humility, and I know that because it does not bring “rest for my soul.”

It is the meekness and humility of the God-Man that will be my mode of action today, that He give me eyes to see and ears to hear in His light. So I keep Him close in heartfelt prayer: "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner."

(Pictures from my Day 2 in a suburb of Moscow (Куркино) in Russia. Later today I'm headed for the meeting of the commission of the Russian Orthodox Church on Canon Law. Today we're discussing a document on Marriage & Divorce. Some tough issues there.)

#humility