Why is humility the foundation of prayer?
Catechism Meditation:
“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or “out of the depths” of a humble and contrite heart? He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer. ―No. 2559
REFLECTION: The Catechism teaches that humility is the foundation of prayer, which means before we can have a relationship with God, we must be humble. So yes, humility is very important. You can be weak in every other virtue and if you have humility you can be saved because you know you need God’s mercy. But if you lack humility, even if you are strong in every other virtue, you will be lost because of your pride. Humility is a tricky virtue to work on, because if you think you’re good at it, you probably aren’t.
So what is humility and how do we acquire it? The root word in Latin means “dirt” or “earth.” But humility doesn’t mean debasing yourself. It means being honest with yourself. It means seeing yourself for who you truly are, and that can be very difficult to do. In Genesis, God made man from the dirt of the ground and breathed life into him (Gen 2:7). Humility reminds us that without God’s life in us, we are nothing, and that all our good gifts come from him. Humility helps to keep us thankful. The humble person doesn’t think less of himself, but rather thinks of himself less.
St. Augustine said in one of his letters, “The way to Christ is first through humility, second through humility, third through humility” (Letters 118:22). He also said, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” St. Thomas Aquinas defines it this way: “Humility means seeing ourselves as God sees us: knowing every good we have comes from Him as pure gift” (Summa Q161). It is pride, more than anything that tempts us to see ourselves through the eyes of the world and through the lens of others’ opinions. If you want to see yourself in the light of truth, you must humbly seek to see yourself only as God sees you. His understanding of your soul is all that matters.
PRAYER. Lord, give me the grace I need to choose to embrace the glorious gift of humility.
Timeless Wisdom Quote:
“Humility is the recognition of our dependence on God, while pride is independence from Him. True independence lies in humility, which involves submitting to God’s will and valuing others above ourselves.” ― Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen