In truth, the humiliations we design for ourselves are always too delicate and too infrequent to cause the destruction of self-love. What we require is that others should put us to shame, should bluntly tell us the truth about ourselves, should expose us, should repeatedly denounce us and make us feel the world of misery and corruption that is seething within us… But if they (humiliations) were more powerful and enduring, they would also be, through the mercy of God, in fuller measure “a compensation for our sins of the past, the means to the pardon of our daily offenses, a remedy for our infirmities, a treasure of merits and virtues, a proof of our loyal devotion to God, the purchase-price of intimate relations with him and the means of our perfection.

Humiliations foster pride when they are rejected with anger or excepted with discontent. This fact explains why ” So many are humbled without becoming humble,” as St Bernard remarks. He alone profits by humiliations who receives them with gratitude… Hence, far from regarding the humiliation as an evil, I ought rather to look upon it as a remedy. I ought to bless God who deigns to cure me. I ought to feel thankful to my brethren for the assistance they give me in conquering self-love. Besides, what I should really consider a proper subject for shame, confusion and humiliation is to feel myself still so full of pride after my many years spent in the service of the King of the humble

–Abbot Vital Lehody