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The wordhumility signifies lowliness or submissiveness and it is derived from the Latinhumilitas or, asSt. Thomas says, fromhumus, i.e. the earth which is beneath us. As applied topersons and things it means that which is abject, ignoble, or of poor condition, as we ordinarily say, not worth much. Thus we say that a man is of humble birth or that a house is a humble dwelling. As restricted topersons, humility is understood also in the sense of afflictions or miseries, which may be inflicted by external agents, as when a man humiliates another by causing him pain or suffering. It is in this sense that others may bring about humiliations and subject us to them. Humility in a higher andethical sense is that by which a man has a modest estimate of his own worth, and submits himself to others. According to this meaning no man can humiliate another, but only himself, and this he can do properly only when aided byDivine grace. We are treating here of humility in this sense, that is, of the virtue of humility.
The virtue of humility may be defined: "A quality by which aperson considering his own defects has a lowly opinion of himself and willingly submits himself toGod and to others forGod's sake."St. Bernard defines it: "A virtue by which a man knowing himself as he truly is, abases himself." These definitions coincide with that given bySt. Thomas: "Thevirtue of humility", he says, "Consists in keeping oneself within one's own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one's superior" (Summa Contra Gent., bk. IV, ch. lv, tr. Rickaby).
To guard against anerroneousidea of humility, it isnecessary to explain the manner in which we ought to esteem our own gifts in reference to the gifts of others, if called upon to make a comparison. Humility does not require us to esteem the gifts andgraces whichGod has granted us, in thesupernatural order, less than similar gifts andgraces which appear in others. No one should esteem less in himself than in others thesegifts of God which are to be valued above all things according to the words ofSt. Paul: "That we mayknow the things that are given us fromGod." (1 Corinthians 2:12). Neither does humility require us in our own estimation to think less of the natural gifts we possess than of similar, or of inferior, gifts in our neighbours; otherwise, asSt. Thomas teaches, it would behove everyone to consider himself a greater sinner or a greater fool than his neighbour; for the Apostle without any prejudice to humility was able to say: "We by nature areJews, and not of theGentiles sinners" (Galatians 2:15). A man, however, may generally esteem some good in his neighbour which he does not himself possess, or acknowledge some defect orevil in himself which he does not perceive in his neighbour, so that, whenever anyone subjects himself out of humility to an equal or to an inferior he does so because he takes that equal or inferior to be his superior in some respect. Thus we may interpret the humble expressions of thesaints astrue and sincere. Besides, their greatlove ofGod caused them to see the malice of their own faults andsins in a clearer light than that which is ordinarily given topersons who are notsaints.
The four cardinal virtues areprudence,justice,fortitude, and temperance, and all other moral virtues are annexed to these either as integral, potential, or subjective parts. Humility is annexed to the virtue of temperance as a potential part, because temperance includes all those virtues that refrain or express the inordinate movements of our desires orappetites. Humility is a repressing or moderating virtue opposed topride and vainglory or that spirit within us which urges us to great things above our strength and ability, and therefore it is included in temperance just as meekness which repressesanger is a part of the samevirtue. From what we have here stated it follows that humility is not the first or the greatest of the virtues. Thetheological virtues have the first place, then theintellectual virtues, as these immediately direct the reason of man to good. Justice is placed in the order of the virtues before humility, and so should obedience be, for it is part ofjustice. Humility is, however, said to be the foundation of the spiritual edifice, but in a sense inferior to that in whichfaith is called its foundation. Humility is the first virtue inasmuch as it removes the obstacles tofaith — per modum removens prohibens, asSt. Thomas says. It removespride and makes a man subject to and a fit recipient of grace according to the words of St. James: "God resisteth the proud, and giveth his grace to the humble" (James 4:6).Faith is the first and the positive fundamental virtue of all the infused virtues, because it is by it we can take the first step in thesupernatural life and in our access toGod: "For he that cometh toGod, must believe that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek him"Hebrews 11:6). Humility, inasmuch as it seems to keep the mind and heart submissive to reason and toGod, has its own function in connection withfaith and all the other virtues, and it may therefore be said to be a universalvirtue.
It is therefore a virtue which isnecessary forsalvation, and as such is enjoined byOur Divine Saviour, especially when He said to His disciples: "Learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to yoursouls" (Matthew 11:29). He also teaches this virtue by the words, "Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you and speak all that isevil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great inheaven" (Matthew 5:11-12). From the example ofChrist and His Saints we may learn the practice of humility, whichSt. Thomas explains (Contra Gent., bk, III, 135): "The spontaneous embracing of humiliations is a practice of humility not in any and every case but when it is done for a needful purpose: for humility being a virtue, does nothing indiscreetly. It is then not humility but folly to embrace any and every humiliation: but when virtue calls for a thing to be done it belongs to humility not to shrink from doing it, for instance not to refuse some mean service where charity calls upon you to help your neighbours. . . .Sometimes too, even where our ownduty does not require us to embrace humiliations, it is an act of virtue to take them up in order to encourage others by our example more easily to bear what is incumbent on them: for a general will sometimes do the office of a common soldier to encourage the rest. Sometimes again we may make a virtuous use of humiliations as a medicine. Thus if anyone's mind is prone to undue self-exaltation, he may with advantage make a moderate use of humiliations, either self-imposed, or imposed by others, so as to check the elation of his spirit by putting himself on a level with the lowest class of the community in the doing of mean offices."
TheAngelic Doctor likewise explains the humility ofChrist in the following words: "Humility cannot befitGod, who has no superior, but is above all. . . .Though the virtue of humility cannot attach toChrist in His divine nature; it may attach to Him in Hishumannature and His divinity renders His humility all the more praiseworthy, for the dignity of theperson adds to the merit of humility; and there can be no greater dignity to a man than his beingGod. Hence the highest praise attaches to the humility of theMan God, who to wean men's hearts from worldly glory to thelove of divine glory, chose to embrace a death of no ordinary sort, but a death of the deepest ignominy" (Summa Contra Gent., tr. Rickaby, bk. IV. ch. lv; cf. bk. III, ch. cxxxvi). St. Benedict in his rule lays down twelve degrees of humility.St. Anselm, as quoted bySt. Thomas, gives seven. These degrees are approved and explained by St. Thomas in his "Summa Theologica" (II-II:161:6). The vices opposed to humility are,
The virtue of humility may not be practised in any external way which would occasion such vices or acts in others.
APA citation.Devine, A.(1910).Humility. InThe Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07543b.htm
MLA citation.Devine, Arthur."Humility."The Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 7.New York: Robert Appleton Company,1910.<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07543b.htm>.
Transcription.This article was transcribed for New Advent by Love.Dedicated to Thomas Mohan Barrett.
Ecclesiastical approbation.Nihil Obstat. June 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
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