How Humility Is Compatible with Seeking to Be Regarded and Esteemed by Men

THERE is a doubt that often strikes one about humility, the solution of which is of importance for us to know how to behave in regard of it. We usually say, and it is the common doctrine of the saints, that we should desire to be depreciated, run down, little valued, and made small account of. A difficulty at once arises on the other side: How can we work with profit to our neighbors if they despise us and hold us of small account? Surely for that end it is necessary to have authority with them, and that they should have a good opinion and esteem of us; hence it appears that it is no bad thing, but a good thing, to desire to be respected and regarded amongst men. This doubt is dealt with by the glorious Saints Basil, Gregory, and Bernard. And they answer it very well, saying that, though it is true that we should shun the honor and esteem of the world for the great danger there is in it, and on our part and in so far as it rests with us we should even desire to be despised and held of little account, yet for a certain good purpose of the greater service of God, it may be a lawful and holy thing to desire the honor and esteem of men. So says St. Bernard that, while it is true that on our part we should wish that others should know and feel about us what we know and feel about ourselves, and view us in the same light in which we view ourselves, yet often (he says) it is not advisable that they should know so much, and so it may be sometimes a lawful and holy thing in us to endeavor that they may not know our faults, not to take any scandal thereby and be hindered in their spiritual advancement. But we need to understand this properly and proceed in the matter with circumspection and much spiritual wisdom, because these and the like truths, under color of truth, are apt to do great harm to some souls from their not knowing how to make use of them.

The same saints explain this doctrine well to us, that we may not take thence occasion to go wrong. St. Gregory says: Sometimes holy men are glad to enjoy the good opinion and esteem of men; that is, when they see it to be a necessary means for the advancement and spiritual help of their neighbors’ souls. And this, says St. Gregory, is not rejoicing in one’s own position and distinction, by in the fruit and profit of one’s neighbor, which is a very different thing. It is one thing to love honor and human esteem for its own sake—dwelling thereupon for one’s own satisfaction and with regard to oneself, at being great and distinguished in the opinion of men, and that is bad—and another thing to seek it as a means of producing fruit in souls, and that is not bad, but good. And in this way we may well desire the honor and esteem of the world and men’s good opinion of us for the greater glory of God and for its being necessary for the edification of our neighbors and doing them good, for this is not seeking one’s own honor and reputation, but the profit and good of one’s neighbor and the greater glory of God. As in one who for health’s sake takes a purgative draught, which he naturally dislikes, the seeking and taking of the draught is part of his love of health; so it is with human honor, which a good man shuns and disdains—he seeks and accepts it solely for its being in some particular case necessary or profitable for the service of God and the good of souls, in which case he may be said with truth not to wish or desire anything but the glory of God.

But let us see how it may be known whether a man takes delight in honor and the good opinion of men purely for the glory of God and the profit of his neighbor, or whether his delight turns on himself and his own honor and credit; for this is a very delicate question, and the whole point and difficulty of this business consists in this. To this St. Gregory replies: Our joy in honor and credit should be so purely for God that, were it not necessary for His greater glory and the good of our neighbor, we would not only not rejoice at it, but positively be pained. Thus our heart and desire, so far as in us lies, must ever incline to ignominy and contempt, and so, when we have an opportunity of that, we should ever embrace it heartily and rejoice therein, as people do when they get what they want. And as for honor and credit, we should desire and rejoice in it solely in so far as it is necessary for the edification of our neighbor, for the good of his soul, and the honor and glory of God.

Of our blessed Father Ignatius we read that he used to say that, if he let himself be carried away by the fervor of his desire, he would go through the streets naked and feathered and covered with mud, to be taken for a madman; but charity and the desire he had to be useful to his neighbor checked in him this great affection for humility and made him conduct himself with that authority and decorum that became his office and person. But his inclination and desire was to be despised and run down; and whenever an opportunity of humiliation occurred, he embraced it and even sought it in good earnest. By this, then, it will be known whether you rejoice in authority and good name for the good of souls and the glory of God or for your own sake and your own personal honor and authority. If, when an opportunity offers of humiliation and discredit, you embrace it in good earnest and heartily and are glad of it, then it is a good sign that, when the sermon or the business goes well and you are regarded and made much of on that account, you do not rejoice for your own honor and reputation, but purely for the glory of God and the good of your neighbor ensuing therefrom. But if, when an opportunity of humiliation offers, you refuse it and do not take it well; and when it is not necessary for the profit of your neighbor, you none the less rejoice in the esteem and praises of men and go out of your way to get them, that is a sign that even on those other occasions your joy is for what touches yourself and your own honor and credit, and not purely for the glory of God and the spiritual profit of your neighbor.

Thus it is true that honor and the good opinion of men is not bad, but good, if we make a good use of it, and thus the desire of it may be lawful and holy, as when Father Francis Xavier went with a great retinue in state to visit the King of Bungo. Self-praise also may be good and holy, if it is done as it ought to be, as we see that St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians (II Cor. iv. 2), began to praise and recount grand things of himself, telling the great favors that the Lord had done him, and saying that he had worked harder than the other apostles, and beginning to relate the revelations that he had had, and raptures even to the third heaven. But this he did because it was then proper and necessary for the honor of God and the profit of his neighbors to whom he was writing, that so they might regard and venerate him for an apostle of Christ and receive his doctrine, and profit thereby. And he said these things with a heart that not only despised honor, but loved disparagement and dishonor for Jesus Christ’s sake. For when it was not necessary for the good of his neighbor, he knew well how to disparage and abase himself, saying of himself that he was not worthy to be an apostle because he had persecuted the Church of God (I Cor. xv. 9), and calling himself a blasphemer and one born out of due time and the greatest of sinners (I Tim. i. 13-16) ; and when they offered him slights and insults, he was very well pleased and glad. Hearts such as this we may well trust to receive honor, and sometimes say things that go to secure it, for they will never do these things without its being necessary for the greater glory of God; and then they do them without being contaminated thereby, as though they did them not, because they love not their own honor, but the honor of God and the good of souls.

But because it is very difficult to receive honor and not grow proud thereupon, or take therein any vain satisfaction or complacency, for this reason saints, fearing the great danger there is in honor and reputation, and dignities and high posts, shun all that sort of thing as far as they can; and used to go where they were not known or esteemed, and contrived to busy themselves in lowly and despicable occupations, because they saw that helped more to their spiritual profit and their preservation in humility, and that it was the safer way for them.

St. Francis used to allege a good reason. I am not a religious, he says, unless I take disgrace with the same cheerfulness of countenance and calm of soul as I take honor. If for the spiritual good of others I rejoice at the honor which they pay me when I preach or do other good works, wherein I put my soul into risk and danger of vanity, much more should I rejoice at my own spiritual good and the making safe of my own soul, of which I am more secure when they find fault with me. It is clear that we are more bound to rejoice in our own spiritual good and profit than in the good and profit of our neighbor, because well-ordered charity begins at home. If, then, you are glad of your neighbor’s profit when the sermon or the business went well and brings you in praise and reputation, why are you not glad of your profit when, while you are doing all on your part, you are little thought of in consequence? For that is the better and safer situation for you. If you are glad when you have great talents to do great things for the good of others, why are you not glad of your own profit and increase in humility when God has given you no talent for these things? If you rejoice in the enjoyment of robust and sound health to labor for others, why do you not rejoice when it is God’s will that you should be sick and feeble, and good for nothing but to be thrust into a corner as a piece of useless furniture ?—for that is what is to your advantage, and that will help you to be humble, and by that you will please God more than if you were a great preacher, because He wills it so.

Hence it will be seen how much they are mistaken who fix their eyes on worldly honor and reputation, under pretense that this is necessary for doing good to one’s neighbor, and under that pretense desire honorable offices and high posts and all that carries authority and influence, and shun what is lowly and humble, thinking to lose authority thereby. There is a great mistake here, since a man loses authority and influence when he thinks to gain it; and when he thinks that he shall lose it, he will gain it. Some think that by a poor habit and an office or occupation that is lowly and humble they shall lose the good opinion that is necessary for dealing profitably with their neighbor. Herein their pride deceives them; rather hereby you will gain it, and by the contrary way, which you follow, you will lose it.

Our blessed Father Ignatius taught this very well. He said that a sense of true humility did more for the conversion of souls than a display of authority which had about it some savor and scent of the world. And so he not only practised this humility himself, but in sending others to labor in the vineyard of the Lord he taught them that, to succeed in great and arduous undertakings, it should always be their policy to take the road of humility and contempt of themselves, for their work would be quite safe if it were well grounded on this humility, and that is the way by which the Lord usually works great things. According to this policy, when he sent Fathers Francis Xavier and Simon Rodriguez to Portugal, he ordered them that on arriving in that kingdom they should beg alms, and by poverty and self-abasement should open the gate to all the rest. And Fathers Salmeron and Paschasius, when they were sent to Ireland as apostolic nuncios, he also ordered to teach Christian doctrine to children and simple folk. And when the same Father Salmeron and Father Master Lainez attended, for the first time, the Council of Trent, being sent by Pope Paul III as theologians of His Holiness, the instructions that he gave them were, before giving their opinion in the council, to betake themselves to the hospital and serve the poor patients there, and teach the children the elements of our faith; and after having cast these roots, they were then to pass on and speak out their opinion in the council, for so there would be profit and fruit of souls, as we know that by the Lord’s goodness there was. And shall we go looking about us, fearing, and measuring the issue by the dictates of human prudence, whether there is a loss of authority by doing these things? Never you fear that the pulpit will lose credit by your going to teach catechism, or giving discourses in public places, hospitals, and prisons. Never you fear losing credit with respectable people because they see you hearing the confessions of the poor, or yourself going about in the garb of a poor religious; rather thereby you gain authority, and reap more credit and reputation, and will do more good to souls, since God raises up the humble and is wont to work wonders through them.

But leaving aside this, which is the main reason, and taking the argument by way of human prudence and reason, you cannot find more effectual means to gain authority and good name among your neighbors and do much good to their souls than to employ yourself in those occupations which look lowly and humble, and all the more, the greater are your capacities. The reason thereof is this. So high is the value that the world attaches to honor and reputation and high things, that one of the things that its people admire most is to see a man regardless of his own standing; to see one who might be engaged in high and honorable occupations, busying himself in lowly and humble ones; hence they conceive a high opinion and esteem of the sanctity of such and receive their teaching as coming from heaven. We read of Father Francis Xavier in his Life that, on embarking for the Indies, refusing to take any outfit for his voyage, he met with earnest remonstrances from the Count de Castafieda, who was then minister of marine in those parts. The count begged him at least to take with him a servant to wait upon him at sea. He told him that he would lose credit and authority with the people whom he had to teach if they saw him with the rest washing his linen at the gunwale of the ship and cooking his own dinner. The father replied: “My lord count, this is what has reduced the Church of God and her prelates to the condition in which they are at this day, the attempt to gain credit and authority by the means which your lordship suggests. The means whereby credit and authority should be gained is by washing one’s rags and cooking the pot without having need of anyone, and all the time employing oneself in the service of one’s neighbors’ souls.” At this answer the count was so struck and edified that he had nothing more to reply. In this way and by this humility and simplicity authority is to be acquired, and in this way fruit of souls. And we see that Father Francis Xavier effected so much in the Indies by teaching catechism to children, and going about ringing the bell at night for the souls in purgatory, and serving and comforting the sick, and other lowly and humble offices. Thus he came to have so much authority and reputation that he stole away and drew to himself the hearts of all, and they called him “the holy Padre.” This is the authority that is wanted for gaining fruit of souls —the name and reputation of humble men, the name and reputation of saints and preachers of the Gospel. So this it is that we should endeavor to procure; as for those airs of authority and points of honor which savor and reek of the world, they rather do harm and give great disedification to our neighbor, as well to those outside the house as to those within.

On those words in St. John: I do not seek my own glory, my Father takes account of that (John viii. 50), a certain doctor says very well: “If, then, our heavenly Father seeks and safeguards our glory and our honor, there is no need for us to take care of it.” Make it your policy to humble yourself and to be what you ought to be, and leave to God your credit and authority as a means to gather more fruit of souls; for where you humble and abase yourself, there you will the more raise yourself up, and gain a reputation very different from that which you might have gained by those human means and devices.

Neither, again, must you set before yourself the honor and authority of your order, which is another pretense that sometimes offers itself in this and in other matters, to cloak our own imperfection and want of mortification. ‘Oh, I do not this for myself, but for the credit of the order, which it is right should be respected and regarded.” Leave alone these respects and regards. Your order will gain more by their seeing you humble, silent, and suffering; for in this consists the credit and reputation of a religious order, in its members’ being humble and mortified and far removed from all savor and odor of the world.

Father Maffei in his “History of the Indies” relates that, while one of our fathers in Japan was preaching the faith of Christ our Redeemer in a public street of Firando, one of those heathens who happened to be passing that way made mockery of the preacher and, hawking up a great mass of phlegm, spat it in his face. The preacher drew out his handkerchief and wiped it off, without showing any concern and without uttering a word, and went on with his sermon in the same tenor and outward appearance as if nothing had happened. One of the hearers took great notice of this and, seeing the great patience and humility of the preacher, began to think within himself: “It cannot be that a doctrine which teaches so much patience, so much humility and constancy of soul, should not come from heaven; this must be a thing of God,” which made such an impression on him that he was moved to be converted. So he went up to the preacher at the end of the sermon, and begged him to instruct him in the faith and baptize him.