Humility Revisited: Step 2

Accept the Will of God.

As the foundation of inner security, humility is the virtue of liberation from self. By acknowledging the power and presence of God, we live into God's grace and God's energy, ultimately recognizing the presence of God in us. By so doing, we come to know the will of God for our lives and thus the whole world looks different. As Gerard Manley Hopkins said, "The world is charged with the grandeur of God," and we can no longer see it any other way.

As we are liberated from self, we are more available to the wisdom of others, and thus find serenity in loving and being loved. Joan Chittister says so poignantly, "win, compete, get ahead and succeed no longer own our souls, sour our lives, consume our hearts, destroy our psyches, or diminish our joy. Then we begin to be free."

On our Lenten journeys this week, let us be free of those things, whatever they may be, that keep us trapped in ourselves, and instead let us live into God's grace and energy. How, we might say? By listening more carefully to the wisdom of others? By putting our own wants and whims aside? By acknowledging and praising the Grandeur of God! What does that picture look like for you? A newborn baby, a roaring ocean, freshly fallen snow, or even chimes blowing in a gentle breeze.

Knowing and accepting the Will of God gives a whole new meaning to our lives. As St. Benedict said, "we will be steeped in the mind of God."