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Meditation 17. The Incarnation and Birth of Jesus Christ: His Wonderful Humility
Preparatory Prayer as on page x
Composition of Place — Picture the house at Nazareth and all it contained. Then consider the road going from Nazareth to Bethlehem, at times broad, at times narrow, sloping now upward, now downward, and all the other circumstances. Finally, entering into the cave of Bethlehem, consider what sort of place it is — what persons and things you see.
Petition — Grant me the grace, my Jesus, to know the deep humility Thou art teaching me and the great love Thou art showing me. I wish to be humble and fervent in Thy holy service.
Text of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke¹ — "God sent the angel Gabriel to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, where a Virgin dwelt... The angel said, Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee; Blessed art Thou among women... And Mary said, Behold the Handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to Me according to thy word...
"Joseph, being of David's clan and family, came up from the town of Nazareth, in Galilee, to David's city in Judea, the city called Bethlehem, to register his name there. With him was his espoused wife Mary, Who was with Child; and it was while they were still there that the time came for Her delivery. She brought forth a Son, Her First-Born, Whom She wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger, because there was no room for Them in the inn."
First Point
Explanation — In His Incarnation and Birth, Jesus Christ has humbled Himself to a point beyond measure. Oh, in how many instances and in what wonderful instances, we may consider this mystery of His humiliation! Let us now consider just a few of them.
The first way He humbled Himself was in taking on human nature. Even if you had an enlightened vision of the facts, you could never sufficiently appreciate this Mystery. Let us express it with a simile. Picture, O my soul, a king of a vast empire, of great power and riches, endowed with wisdom and all those talents and gifts that are suitable for a ruler. The nobility, the army, and the people love him as a father. Nothing that can be imagined is lacking to make him happy.
This great monarch secretly lays aside his purple, abandons his dominions, dresses himself in poor, tattered garments, and wandering away to a strange country, engages himself as a farm hand. He continues to live in this way, unknown and engaged in this lowly occupation until death.
What man could sufficiently appreciate this example of humbling oneself? O my soul, awaken your Faith and tell me: Who is that lovable Infant Whom you see in the stable at Bethlehem? It is the only begotten Son of the Eternal Father, the Lord of hosts, the Most High God. This Lord, disregarding His greatness and His exalted standing, came down from Heaven where He was adored and praised by all the choirs of angels, and chose to dwell on the earth.
He became a poor man, and in a lowly human form He remained here unknown until His death. Can a greater self-effacement ever be conceived by the human mind?
The second way Christ humbled Himself was in taking on human nature in the condition of an infant. Does anything arouse compassion more than that condition does? An infant cannot stand on its feet, much less walk. It always has to be carried. It cannot feed itself nor provide for any of its needs. It requires the hands of others. It cannot speak, and if anything troubles it, it cannot show it except by crying.
We pass over in silence many other handicaps to which they are subject, which are known to all. You and I were able to bear these hardships easily, since we were deprived of the use of reason at that time. But Jesus Christ, endowed with the fullness of wisdom, experienced the full weight of this humiliation. He could have come into the world as a fully developed man; but to humble Himself more perfectly, He did not choose that, but chose the condition of an infant.
The third way Christ humbled Himself was His taking on human nature in such wise as to hide all the divine and human perfection with which He was endowed. I ask no more, my soul, but that you glance at that little Babe in the manger. Behold, here lies that Almighty God Who created Heaven and earth out of nothing; and yet He cannot take a step nor stand on His feet.
Here lies that God of Infinite Power Who, though He could move all the immense machinery of the world by a mere nod, has reduced Himself to a condition of such helplessness that He needs to be carried in the arms of His Mother. Here lies the Wisdom of the Father, rendered incapable of uttering a word. Here lies that God of Infinite Riches Whom the most respected, the most fearful rulers, must turn to for aid. Yet He has nowhere to rest except in an unclean stable. Oh, what self-effacement! Oh, what an example of humility is my Redeemer!
Affective Acts
(1) Shame — O Jesus, most humble Jesus! How different are the desires of my heart from those of Thy Heart! Thou, from Thy love for humility, humbled Thyself by coming down from Heaven to earth; whereas I venture to praise myself, to extol myself to the skies. Thou didst lower Thyself to the condition of a little child; I puff up with continual ambition for higher rank and honor in the eyes of men.
Thou hidest all Thy Infinite Perfection to escape praise and honor; I put in the sight of all whatever good I seem to have, in order to gain esteem and praise. Thus all Thy thoughts are directed to humbling and lowering Thyself and all my thoughts strive toward my exaltation. Alas! I see that I must confess, O my Jesus, that I do not yet have any of Thy Spirit and that my thoughts are as far from Thine as Heaven is from earth!
(2) Repentance — I know well, O my Jesus, how much I have deceived myself! This is not the road that Thou hast walked. But from this moment I repent of all the desires and vain satisfactions to which I have consented, of all the words of vainglory I have uttered, of all the works I have performed for vanity's sake. It is right for Thee alone to have honor and glory, and to Thee alone will I pay it; for Thou art Source and Fount of everything good. Henceforth I will not look at anything else but Thy self-effacement and humility, to love it and embrace it with all my heart according to the rule of Thy doctrine and Thy example.
Second Point
In His Incarnation, in His Birth, and all His life, Jesus of His own choice consented to self-effacement and to being despised by others. Thus consider first how Jesus Christ was received into the world at His Birth. Can there ever be a greater affront done a man than to be cast out by his fellow citizens so that he does not find anyone in his own country who grants him lodging, even for a night?
Now this is just what happened to Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. There were lodgings for everyone else, old and young, men and women, nobles and peasants. Only Jesus, with His Mother, seem to have been cast off by everyone; and it was necessary for Him to be born in a stable.
Now how did Jesus Christ bear this strange treatment? He bore it with such cheerfulness that He even made it possible for it to happen. For otherwise, if He had not been willing, He could have sent ahead armies of angels to announce His coming. In this way He would have been able at His coming to move His fellow citizens to venerate and respectfully adore His Majesty. He did none of this, and this was simply in order to have an occasion for suffering insults.
How was Jesus treated by the world after His Birth? Even far worse than at His Birth. A new star appeared in the sky. Kings from the East went to Judea and told of the Birth of the Savior of the world. Now surely all Jerusalem would come to adore the Child Jesus. Oh, the ingratitude of these people!
Of so many thousands of men there was not even one who took a step to go see and adore Jesus. Rather, they reasoned among themselves to find a way to do away with Him promptly. His death was decreed and the day was appointed for His impious execution. In order to escape it, Jesus Christ found Himself obliged to flee from His homeland.
What idea did the world have of Jesus Christ when He was grown up? No more favorable than what they formed of Him at His Birth. Jesus lived in Nazareth with His good Mother. His occupation at home and away from it was hard work and fatigue to earn a living by the sweat of His brow.
Who would have ever thought that under the appearance of a humble laborer, a God was hiding Who had become man? His Eternal Father wanted to keep this mystery hidden and would not let it become apparent that this was His Beloved Son. Mary and Joseph also kept it secret, and Jesus always hid the treasures of His Divinity and humanity from the view of men.
So it happened that everyone believed He was a young son of a carpenter Who was called Jesus, that He submitted faithfully to His Mother and to the one who took the part of father, and that His employment was that of an artisan. This, my soul, is all the praise that this God Who had become Man obtained from the world during the space of thirty full years. That is to say, the Lord Who made Heaven and earth was a hard-working carpenter.
Affective Acts
(1) Contempt of self — Ah, what a loathsome thing in Thy sight, O my God, is the honor and esteem of men! And how greatly contempt is valued in Thy sight! By any chance did Thou lack means to obtain honor, if Thou hadst wanted it? In just a single hour Thou couldst have filled the world with miracles and thus drawn all the admiring gazes of men. But Thou didst not want to do this. Thou wanted to hide all the treasures of Thy Perfection under Thy humble condition as a workman so that in this way Thou might escape esteem and honor.
Oh, how bitter this truth is for me! Thou dost flee honor, and I flee contempt! Thou dost love to live unknown, and I strive to make myself known. Thou dost rejoice in receiving affronts and I rejoice in receiving honors. O my Jesus! Alas for me! What a wretched state I am in! If Thy Spirit is the way of holiness, my spirit is that of damnation. If Thy humility is the key to Heaven, my pride is the key to hell.
(2) Desire for humility — What shows me my pride most clearly is that I see myself honored much more than Thou were, and even so I am not satisfied. My status is respected, and because of it I am treated with respect. But who treated Thee with respect when Thou didst present only the status of a poor artisan? Alas for me! I want to be esteemed more than my Redeemer was.
I know this well, O my Jesus! And I do not know what to do. Deeply rooted in me is this desire, so loathsome to Thee, for honor, and this horror that I have for contempt, a horror which is abominable to Thee. Everything must yield to my wayward self — even Thy honor, the good pleasure of Thy Eternal Father. Yes, true progress in virtue must yield; the sanctity of my soul must yield. This is a wound that Thou alone can cure, O my Jesus!
Third Point
Reflections on the Humility of Jesus Christ
Here you have, my soul, one of the most important points of the spiritual life. Ask God for light and reflect on it well.
First reflection — Nothing can be found in a soul so beneficial for it before God as the experience of contempt and humiliation. Let us suppose that we were here in the world before the Birth of Jesus Christ, and that the Eternal Father, to let us know our pride, asks us what way He should send His Son into the world. What answer would we have given?
Doubtless we would have said: The suitable thing is that His foster father should be a great monarch, His Mother a great queen, His dwelling a magnificent palace; that He send squadrons of angels to announce His coming; and that they instruct people to go promptly to pay profound adoration to the New-Born God. The suitable thing, too, would be for Him to sit upon a lofty throne and display His Majesty and Wisdom and rule the world with supreme authority.
That is what you would have thought. But what does the Eternal Father do? The Mother of My Beloved and Only-Begotten Son — He says — is to be a poor maiden. His lodging is to be a stable. His bed, a little straw. He is not to rule, but to obey. He is to be hidden from view and to engage in a humble occupation. He is to live and die as a victim of discredit and contempt.
Alas, my soul! We are so blind! The thing we cherish most among ourselves is honor and worldly praise and glory, and the Heavenly Father cherishes only those who despise and humble themselves before men. Turn your eyes to Jesus. What do you see in Him except a victim of humiliation, discredit, and ill treatment?
It was just that sacrifice — such an exalted one! — in which the Eternal Father took so much satisfaction and for the sake of which He worked out the salvation of the world.
Second reflection — There is nothing more loathsome to God than fondness for worldly glory. The less a soul resembles Jesus Christ, the more loathsome it is to His Heavenly Father. Now what resemblance can a soul ever have to Jesus Christ if it is fond of praise, honor, and worldly glory?
Jesus' thoughts were all of humiliation and self-effacement. Jesus' desires were directed to nothing but to be a victim of contempt. Jesus' joy and satisfaction were all founded on much suffering for His Father's glory. Jesus' life began and ended amid insults. In their midst He was silent. Now you, O my soul, place yourself alongside Jesus and see if you resemble Him.
Affective Acts
(1) Self-accusation and repentance — It were better that I weep than utter a word, O my Jesus. I would almost say that my heart has as much resemblance to Thine as a fallen angel has to one of the holy ones. Thy Heart fosters a supreme loathing for all praise, honor, and human glory, and has a burning desire for contempt and affronts in order to give glory to Thy Father; whereas my heart feels a loathing for these things and has a fondness for all that is the opposite. But what increases my bad condition is that I convert medicine into poison.
The most effective means to uproot my pride would be to undergo insult, belittlement, and mockery. But, alas! I love my sickness and hate the remedy for it. I defend my pride and cast humility far from me. Will there be any other remedy for me, O most humble Jesus? Ah! Thanks to Thy Mercy, I should know, at least now, my deplorable condition and hate it.
Indeed, O my Jesus, I do hate and curse all vain thoughts, vain feelings, and vain desires, all the vain satisfactions I have taken in receiving praise and honor, and everything I have done for the sake of vainglory. Yes, all this I hate and curse and I desire that it be forever cursed. Thou art the font and source of everything good. To Thee alone is praise, honor and blessing rightly due. I, who am a sinner, deserve only to blush in confusion and to be despised by all.
(2) Resolution and Prayer of Petition — O my Jesus, if in times past I have fervently begged Thee to grant me a grace, I now in a particular way beg Thee for a sincere and deep humility. I am asking for a great favor; because humility is the special quality that belongs to Thy Spirit and to Thy true followers. It is the key for entering into familiarity with Thee and the gate to paradise. A proud soul can never have close friendship with Thee, for it is an object of horror in Thy eyes. To obtain this virtue, any price, no matter how great, should seem little to me.
Two things I resolve upon, my Jesus: First, to never deliberately admit any vain satisfaction or vain thought, nor to ever say a word of self-praise, nor to do anything for vainglory. Second, to gladly accept and bear in silence the contempt that befalls me from any quarter. But, O my Jesus, how easy it is to make a promise, and how hard it is to constantly keep these resolves. Thou alone, O my Jesus, can help me. Thou alone are my hope, my helper, my strength. To Thee I cling, O my beloved One, so humble, so despised, so down-trodden!
Now pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Concluding Prayers as on page xi.
Footnote
¹Luke (1:26-2:7)
Preparatory Prayer as on page x
Composition of Place — Picture the house at Nazareth and all it contained. Then consider the road going from Nazareth to Bethlehem, at times broad, at times narrow, sloping now upward, now downward, and all the other circumstances. Finally, entering into the cave of Bethlehem, consider what sort of place it is — what persons and things you see.
Petition — Grant me the grace, my Jesus, to know the deep humility Thou art teaching me and the great love Thou art showing me. I wish to be humble and fervent in Thy holy service.
Text of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke¹ — "God sent the angel Gabriel to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, where a Virgin dwelt... The angel said, Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee; Blessed art Thou among women... And Mary said, Behold the Handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to Me according to thy word...
"Joseph, being of David's clan and family, came up from the town of Nazareth, in Galilee, to David's city in Judea, the city called Bethlehem, to register his name there. With him was his espoused wife Mary, Who was with Child; and it was while they were still there that the time came for Her delivery. She brought forth a Son, Her First-Born, Whom She wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger, because there was no room for Them in the inn."
First Point
Explanation — In His Incarnation and Birth, Jesus Christ has humbled Himself to a point beyond measure. Oh, in how many instances and in what wonderful instances, we may consider this mystery of His humiliation! Let us now consider just a few of them.
The first way He humbled Himself was in taking on human nature. Even if you had an enlightened vision of the facts, you could never sufficiently appreciate this Mystery. Let us express it with a simile. Picture, O my soul, a king of a vast empire, of great power and riches, endowed with wisdom and all those talents and gifts that are suitable for a ruler. The nobility, the army, and the people love him as a father. Nothing that can be imagined is lacking to make him happy.
This great monarch secretly lays aside his purple, abandons his dominions, dresses himself in poor, tattered garments, and wandering away to a strange country, engages himself as a farm hand. He continues to live in this way, unknown and engaged in this lowly occupation until death.
What man could sufficiently appreciate this example of humbling oneself? O my soul, awaken your Faith and tell me: Who is that lovable Infant Whom you see in the stable at Bethlehem? It is the only begotten Son of the Eternal Father, the Lord of hosts, the Most High God. This Lord, disregarding His greatness and His exalted standing, came down from Heaven where He was adored and praised by all the choirs of angels, and chose to dwell on the earth.
He became a poor man, and in a lowly human form He remained here unknown until His death. Can a greater self-effacement ever be conceived by the human mind?
The second way Christ humbled Himself was in taking on human nature in the condition of an infant. Does anything arouse compassion more than that condition does? An infant cannot stand on its feet, much less walk. It always has to be carried. It cannot feed itself nor provide for any of its needs. It requires the hands of others. It cannot speak, and if anything troubles it, it cannot show it except by crying.
We pass over in silence many other handicaps to which they are subject, which are known to all. You and I were able to bear these hardships easily, since we were deprived of the use of reason at that time. But Jesus Christ, endowed with the fullness of wisdom, experienced the full weight of this humiliation. He could have come into the world as a fully developed man; but to humble Himself more perfectly, He did not choose that, but chose the condition of an infant.
The third way Christ humbled Himself was His taking on human nature in such wise as to hide all the divine and human perfection with which He was endowed. I ask no more, my soul, but that you glance at that little Babe in the manger. Behold, here lies that Almighty God Who created Heaven and earth out of nothing; and yet He cannot take a step nor stand on His feet.
Here lies that God of Infinite Power Who, though He could move all the immense machinery of the world by a mere nod, has reduced Himself to a condition of such helplessness that He needs to be carried in the arms of His Mother. Here lies the Wisdom of the Father, rendered incapable of uttering a word. Here lies that God of Infinite Riches Whom the most respected, the most fearful rulers, must turn to for aid. Yet He has nowhere to rest except in an unclean stable. Oh, what self-effacement! Oh, what an example of humility is my Redeemer!
Affective Acts
(1) Shame — O Jesus, most humble Jesus! How different are the desires of my heart from those of Thy Heart! Thou, from Thy love for humility, humbled Thyself by coming down from Heaven to earth; whereas I venture to praise myself, to extol myself to the skies. Thou didst lower Thyself to the condition of a little child; I puff up with continual ambition for higher rank and honor in the eyes of men.
Thou hidest all Thy Infinite Perfection to escape praise and honor; I put in the sight of all whatever good I seem to have, in order to gain esteem and praise. Thus all Thy thoughts are directed to humbling and lowering Thyself and all my thoughts strive toward my exaltation. Alas! I see that I must confess, O my Jesus, that I do not yet have any of Thy Spirit and that my thoughts are as far from Thine as Heaven is from earth!
(2) Repentance — I know well, O my Jesus, how much I have deceived myself! This is not the road that Thou hast walked. But from this moment I repent of all the desires and vain satisfactions to which I have consented, of all the words of vainglory I have uttered, of all the works I have performed for vanity's sake. It is right for Thee alone to have honor and glory, and to Thee alone will I pay it; for Thou art Source and Fount of everything good. Henceforth I will not look at anything else but Thy self-effacement and humility, to love it and embrace it with all my heart according to the rule of Thy doctrine and Thy example.
Second Point
In His Incarnation, in His Birth, and all His life, Jesus of His own choice consented to self-effacement and to being despised by others. Thus consider first how Jesus Christ was received into the world at His Birth. Can there ever be a greater affront done a man than to be cast out by his fellow citizens so that he does not find anyone in his own country who grants him lodging, even for a night?
Now this is just what happened to Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. There were lodgings for everyone else, old and young, men and women, nobles and peasants. Only Jesus, with His Mother, seem to have been cast off by everyone; and it was necessary for Him to be born in a stable.
Now how did Jesus Christ bear this strange treatment? He bore it with such cheerfulness that He even made it possible for it to happen. For otherwise, if He had not been willing, He could have sent ahead armies of angels to announce His coming. In this way He would have been able at His coming to move His fellow citizens to venerate and respectfully adore His Majesty. He did none of this, and this was simply in order to have an occasion for suffering insults.
How was Jesus treated by the world after His Birth? Even far worse than at His Birth. A new star appeared in the sky. Kings from the East went to Judea and told of the Birth of the Savior of the world. Now surely all Jerusalem would come to adore the Child Jesus. Oh, the ingratitude of these people!
Of so many thousands of men there was not even one who took a step to go see and adore Jesus. Rather, they reasoned among themselves to find a way to do away with Him promptly. His death was decreed and the day was appointed for His impious execution. In order to escape it, Jesus Christ found Himself obliged to flee from His homeland.
What idea did the world have of Jesus Christ when He was grown up? No more favorable than what they formed of Him at His Birth. Jesus lived in Nazareth with His good Mother. His occupation at home and away from it was hard work and fatigue to earn a living by the sweat of His brow.
Who would have ever thought that under the appearance of a humble laborer, a God was hiding Who had become man? His Eternal Father wanted to keep this mystery hidden and would not let it become apparent that this was His Beloved Son. Mary and Joseph also kept it secret, and Jesus always hid the treasures of His Divinity and humanity from the view of men.
So it happened that everyone believed He was a young son of a carpenter Who was called Jesus, that He submitted faithfully to His Mother and to the one who took the part of father, and that His employment was that of an artisan. This, my soul, is all the praise that this God Who had become Man obtained from the world during the space of thirty full years. That is to say, the Lord Who made Heaven and earth was a hard-working carpenter.
Affective Acts
(1) Contempt of self — Ah, what a loathsome thing in Thy sight, O my God, is the honor and esteem of men! And how greatly contempt is valued in Thy sight! By any chance did Thou lack means to obtain honor, if Thou hadst wanted it? In just a single hour Thou couldst have filled the world with miracles and thus drawn all the admiring gazes of men. But Thou didst not want to do this. Thou wanted to hide all the treasures of Thy Perfection under Thy humble condition as a workman so that in this way Thou might escape esteem and honor.
Oh, how bitter this truth is for me! Thou dost flee honor, and I flee contempt! Thou dost love to live unknown, and I strive to make myself known. Thou dost rejoice in receiving affronts and I rejoice in receiving honors. O my Jesus! Alas for me! What a wretched state I am in! If Thy Spirit is the way of holiness, my spirit is that of damnation. If Thy humility is the key to Heaven, my pride is the key to hell.
(2) Desire for humility — What shows me my pride most clearly is that I see myself honored much more than Thou were, and even so I am not satisfied. My status is respected, and because of it I am treated with respect. But who treated Thee with respect when Thou didst present only the status of a poor artisan? Alas for me! I want to be esteemed more than my Redeemer was.
I know this well, O my Jesus! And I do not know what to do. Deeply rooted in me is this desire, so loathsome to Thee, for honor, and this horror that I have for contempt, a horror which is abominable to Thee. Everything must yield to my wayward self — even Thy honor, the good pleasure of Thy Eternal Father. Yes, true progress in virtue must yield; the sanctity of my soul must yield. This is a wound that Thou alone can cure, O my Jesus!
Third Point
Reflections on the Humility of Jesus Christ
Here you have, my soul, one of the most important points of the spiritual life. Ask God for light and reflect on it well.
First reflection — Nothing can be found in a soul so beneficial for it before God as the experience of contempt and humiliation. Let us suppose that we were here in the world before the Birth of Jesus Christ, and that the Eternal Father, to let us know our pride, asks us what way He should send His Son into the world. What answer would we have given?
Doubtless we would have said: The suitable thing is that His foster father should be a great monarch, His Mother a great queen, His dwelling a magnificent palace; that He send squadrons of angels to announce His coming; and that they instruct people to go promptly to pay profound adoration to the New-Born God. The suitable thing, too, would be for Him to sit upon a lofty throne and display His Majesty and Wisdom and rule the world with supreme authority.
That is what you would have thought. But what does the Eternal Father do? The Mother of My Beloved and Only-Begotten Son — He says — is to be a poor maiden. His lodging is to be a stable. His bed, a little straw. He is not to rule, but to obey. He is to be hidden from view and to engage in a humble occupation. He is to live and die as a victim of discredit and contempt.
Alas, my soul! We are so blind! The thing we cherish most among ourselves is honor and worldly praise and glory, and the Heavenly Father cherishes only those who despise and humble themselves before men. Turn your eyes to Jesus. What do you see in Him except a victim of humiliation, discredit, and ill treatment?
It was just that sacrifice — such an exalted one! — in which the Eternal Father took so much satisfaction and for the sake of which He worked out the salvation of the world.
Second reflection — There is nothing more loathsome to God than fondness for worldly glory. The less a soul resembles Jesus Christ, the more loathsome it is to His Heavenly Father. Now what resemblance can a soul ever have to Jesus Christ if it is fond of praise, honor, and worldly glory?
Jesus' thoughts were all of humiliation and self-effacement. Jesus' desires were directed to nothing but to be a victim of contempt. Jesus' joy and satisfaction were all founded on much suffering for His Father's glory. Jesus' life began and ended amid insults. In their midst He was silent. Now you, O my soul, place yourself alongside Jesus and see if you resemble Him.
Affective Acts
(1) Self-accusation and repentance — It were better that I weep than utter a word, O my Jesus. I would almost say that my heart has as much resemblance to Thine as a fallen angel has to one of the holy ones. Thy Heart fosters a supreme loathing for all praise, honor, and human glory, and has a burning desire for contempt and affronts in order to give glory to Thy Father; whereas my heart feels a loathing for these things and has a fondness for all that is the opposite. But what increases my bad condition is that I convert medicine into poison.
The most effective means to uproot my pride would be to undergo insult, belittlement, and mockery. But, alas! I love my sickness and hate the remedy for it. I defend my pride and cast humility far from me. Will there be any other remedy for me, O most humble Jesus? Ah! Thanks to Thy Mercy, I should know, at least now, my deplorable condition and hate it.
Indeed, O my Jesus, I do hate and curse all vain thoughts, vain feelings, and vain desires, all the vain satisfactions I have taken in receiving praise and honor, and everything I have done for the sake of vainglory. Yes, all this I hate and curse and I desire that it be forever cursed. Thou art the font and source of everything good. To Thee alone is praise, honor and blessing rightly due. I, who am a sinner, deserve only to blush in confusion and to be despised by all.
(2) Resolution and Prayer of Petition — O my Jesus, if in times past I have fervently begged Thee to grant me a grace, I now in a particular way beg Thee for a sincere and deep humility. I am asking for a great favor; because humility is the special quality that belongs to Thy Spirit and to Thy true followers. It is the key for entering into familiarity with Thee and the gate to paradise. A proud soul can never have close friendship with Thee, for it is an object of horror in Thy eyes. To obtain this virtue, any price, no matter how great, should seem little to me.
Two things I resolve upon, my Jesus: First, to never deliberately admit any vain satisfaction or vain thought, nor to ever say a word of self-praise, nor to do anything for vainglory. Second, to gladly accept and bear in silence the contempt that befalls me from any quarter. But, O my Jesus, how easy it is to make a promise, and how hard it is to constantly keep these resolves. Thou alone, O my Jesus, can help me. Thou alone are my hope, my helper, my strength. To Thee I cling, O my beloved One, so humble, so despised, so down-trodden!
Now pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Concluding Prayers as on page xi.
Footnote
¹Luke (1:26-2:7)
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre