The lofty perfection is that described by St Augustine and St Gregory; the perfection to which the twelve degrees of humility enumerated by St Benedict or the seven degrees counseled by St Anselm lead: (1) to acknowledge ourselves contemptible; (2) to grieve on account of this; (3) to admit that we are so; (4) to wish our neighbor to believe that; (5) patiently to endure people saying it; (6) willingly to be treated as a person worthy of contempt; (7) to love to be treated in this fashion.
This great conception of Christian perfection and of the illuminative and unitive ways is the only one which seems to us to preserve all the grandeur of the Gospel and of the Epistles of St John and St Paul. –Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange ‘Christian Perfection and Contemplation According to St Thomas Aquinas and St John of the Cross’
Embarking upon a mission, I am speaking with others, opening myself, prying for counsel, discerning within my imperfection, not afraid of others. I invite the judgement that I am shallow, doing good deeds seeking only attention. I know myself, privy to my weaknesses and strengths. Avoiding the subtle temptation to remain hidden, to slide through under the radar, I fear not the eyes of others. I love the defining of humility to the severest degree of accepting, loving, the disdain and disfavor of others. My spiritual endeavors aligned with God are not wearied by talk, comprehending to the greater and deeper degree the danger of a life lived in secret pride that everything I do is superior within stealth. To remain aloof, prideful in the distance one keeps from others, judging and looking down upon those socially healthy in spiritual pursuits is a harsh path of cruelty upon one’s self and others. It is more beneficial for everyone involved to be open and honest. Works of God do not out smart themselves and others. Works of God do not hide within closed-off cleverness. Too often good deeds kept hidden are a statement of over-sensitivity, the reality that one cannot accept criticism. The truth that if others are drawn into intimacy they will most likely not approve of what they discover, criticizing and gossiping. An advanced humility fears not righteous or unrighteous condemnation, unafraid and inviting disparaging words while not seeking sweet consolations. An advanced religious is not afraid to socialize and profess their mission. Jesus speaks: “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel, but on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is sound, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” I had an incredible half-hour one-on-one counseling session with Sister Mary Thomas today after mass, drawn into the encounter through a rare set of circumstances. God is good and all giving.
