That Humility Is Not Contrary to Magnanimity, but Is the Foundation and Cause Thereof

ST. THOMAS, treating of the virtue of magnanimity, puts this question: On the one hand the saints say, and the holy Gospel says the same, that humility is very necessary for us; and on the other hand magnanimity also is very necessary, especially for those who hold high offices and ministrations. These two virtues, then, seem contrary to one another; since magnanimity is a greatness of soul, ready to undertake and meet great and excellent calls, and hold offices in themselves worthy of honor, and both the one and the other undertaking seems contrary to humility. As regards the former, which is the undertaking of great things, it seems incompatible with humility, since one of the degrees of humility which the saints assign consists in confessing and holding oneself for unworthy and useless for any and every thing—ad omnia indignum et inutilem se confiteri et credere; and for a man to undertake a business to which he is inadequate, seems pride and presumption. As for the second requisite, which is the taking of posts of honor, it seems likewise contrary to that; since the truly humble man must be very far from desiring honor and distinction.

St. Thomas answers all this very well, and says that though, looking at the outward appearance and sound of things, these two virtues seem contrary to one another, yet in fact no virtue can be contrary to another; and he says of these two in particular, humility and magnanimity, that, if we look attentively to the truth and substance of the thing, we shall find them not only not contrary, but very akin and dependent on one another. And he explains this very well. For as to the first point, which is undertaking great things and meeting great calls as is proper for the magnanimous man to do, not only is this not contrary to the status of the humble man, but is very properly his work, and he is the only man who can do it well. If we were to undertake great things, trusting in our own strength and resources, that would be presumption and pride, since neither great things nor little things can we do of our own strength, since we are not sufficient of ourselves to have even a good thought, as the Apostle St. Paul says (II Cor. iii. 5). But the firm foundation of this virtue of magnanimity, for the meeting and undertaking of great things, must be distrust of ourselves and of all human means and putting our trust in God, and this is what humility does. That is why the saints call humility the foundation of all virtues, because it opens the ground, sinks the foundations, casts out the sand and loose earth of our own powers, until it comes to the living rock, which is Christ, and thereon it builds.

The glorious Bernard, on that passage of the Canticles: Who is she that cometh up from the desert laden with rich spices, resting upon her beloved? (Cant. viii. 5), explains at length how all our virtue and strength and all our good works must rest upon our Beloved. He brings in the example of St. Paul (I Cor. xv. 10): By the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace in me hath not been made void.

I have labored more abundantly than all. The Apostle begins to recount his labors and the great share that he has had in the preaching of the Gospel and the service of the Church, until he comes to say that he has labored more than the rest of the apostles. “Look to what you are saying, holy Apostle!” cries St. Bernard; “that you may be able to say this and not lose it all, rest upon your Beloved.” He immediately does rest upon his Beloved: Not I, but the grace of God in me. And, writing to the Philippians, he says: I can do all things, and forthwith resting upon his Beloved, he adds, in him that strengtheneth me (Phil. iv. 13). In God we can do all, with His grace we shall be a match for all, on that we must rest, and that must be the ground of our magnanimity and greatness of soul. And this is what the Prophet Isaias says: They who distrust themselves and put all their trust in the Lord, shall change their strength (Isaias xl. 31), for they shall change the strength of men, which is weakness, into the strength of God, exchanging the weak arm of flesh for the strong arm of God; so they shall be strong and powerful for everything, because in God they can do all. And so St. Leo very well said: The truly humble man is the magnanimous man, courageous and strong to meet and undertake great things; nothing shall be to him arduous or difficult, since he does not trust in himself, but in God, fixing his eyes on God and resting on Him. With the help of God we will do doughty deeds, and he will bring our enemies to nothing (Psalm lix. 14). In God all things are possible. This is a thing that we have great need of—great courage and strength and confidence in God, not fits of discouragement, which take away all heart for doing our work. Thus in ourselves we must be humble, knowing that of ourselves we are good for nothing, of no avail or competence for anything; but in God and in His might and grace we must be courageous and vigorous to undertake great things.

St. Basil explains this very well on those words of Isaias: Here I am, send me (vi. 8). God wished to send someone to preach to His people; and as He wishes to do things through us with our will and consent, He said where Isaias could hear Him: Whom shail I send, who will go willingly? The prophet answered: Lord, here I am, if thou wilt to send me. St. Basil makes a good reflection. He did not say: “Lord, I will go and do it right well,” because he was humble and knew his weakness, and saw that it would be a piece of presumption to promise of himself to do such a great thing, a thing surpassing all his powers; but he says: “Lord, here I am, quite ready and disposed to receive what Thou shalt wish to give me; do Thou send me, because if Thou sendest me I will go.” As though he would say: “I am not sufficient for so high a ministry as this, but Thou canst give me sufficiency. Thou canst put words in my mouth to change hearts; if Thou sendest me, I shall be able to go and be sufficient for the work, going in Thy name.” And God says to him, “Go.” You see here, says St. Basil, the Prophet Isaias given his degree as preacher and apostle of God because he showed himself competent to respond very well in the matter of humility, since he did not ascribe the going to himself, but recognized his own insufficiency and weakness and put all his confidence in God, believing that in Him he could do all, and if He sent him, he should be able to go. Therefore God gives him his degree, making him His preacher, ambassador, and apostle. This should be our strength and our magnanimity, emboldening us to meet and undertake great things. Therefore do not you be disheartened or discouraged at your weakness and insufficiency. Say not that thou art an infant and canst not speak, says God to Jeremy, for to all that I shall send thee thou shalt go, and shalt do all that I shall command thee. Fear not, for I will be with thee (Jerem. i. 7-8). Thus on this side humility is not only not contrary to magnanimity, but is the root and foundation of it.

Neither is the second mark of the magnanimous man, which is the desire of doing great things and things in themselves deserving of honor, contrary to humility; because, as St. Thomas well says, though the magnanimous man desires to do this, he does not desire it for the sake of human honor, nor is that his end—to deserve it, yes, but not to go after it or value it. Rather he keeps his heart so regardless of honors and disgraces that he reckons nothing great but virtue, and the love of that animates him to do great things, despising the honor of men. For virtue is a thing so high that it cannot be sufficiently honored or rewarded by men, since it deserves to be honored and rewarded by God. Thus the magnanimous man makes no account of the honor of the world; it is a thing too low and worthless for him; his flight soars higher; it is the sole love of God and virtue that moves him to do great works and deeds, despising all the rest.

But to keep a heart so great, so generous, so regardless of the honors and dishonors of men, as the heart of the magnanimous man must be, requires great humility. To arrive at such perfection that you can say with St. Paul: I know how to behave alike in humiliation and in abundance and prosperity, alike in satiety and in hunger (Phil. iv. 12)—tthat winds so violent and contrary as honor and dishonor, praises and complaints, favors and persecutions (II Cor. vi. 8), should work in us no change, nor make us stumble, but that we should always remain in one and the same frame of mind—a great foundation of humility and heavenly wisdom is necessary. I know not whether you would be able to steer your course in the midst of abundance, as the Apostle St. Paul did. To suffer poverty, to beg, to be a sojourner walking humbly in the midst of insults and affronts—perhaps you would be able to do that; but to be humble in the midst of honors, promotion to professors’ chairs, pulpits, and high ministries, I am not sure of your competence there. Alas, even the angels were not competent for that, but lost their heads in vanity and fell. Even the philosopher Boethius said: “Although every change of fortune is to be feared, yet prosperity is more to be feared than adversity.” Cum omnis fortuna timenda sit, magis tamen timenda est prospera quam adversa. It is more difficult to keep oneself in humility in the midst of honors and worldly reputation and high offices than in slights and incivilities and in lowly and humble duties, because the latter carry humility with them, and the former pride and vanity. Knowledge puffeth up (I Cor. vili. 1). Knowledge and other high things of their own nature puff men up and fill them with vanity. Therefore the saints say that it is the humility of great and perfect men to be able to keep humble in the midst of great gifts and favors received from God and the honors and esteem of the world.

There is related of the blessed St. Francis a thing that seems very different from the occasion when he set to kneading the mud with his feet to escape the honorable reception which the townspeople were prepared to give him. He came once into a town, and they showed him great honor for the opinion and esteem they had of his sanctity; they crowded to kiss his habit, his hands and his feet, and he offered no resistance. His companion judged that he took pleasure in this honor, and the temptation so far overcame him that in the end he spoke to him to that effect. The saint replied: “These people, brother, are doing nothing in comparison with the honor which they ought to pay.” His companion was more scandalized than ever at this reply, for he did not understand it. Then the saint said to him: “Brother, this honor which you see them do me I do not attribute to myself, but refer it all to God, to Whom it belongs, keeping myself in the depths of my unworthiness, while they gain thereby, since they recognize and honor God in His creature.” His companion was satisfied, and marveled at the perfection of the saint, and with good reason, since to be regarded and honored as a saint, which is the highest honor and esteem in which one can be held, and to know how to give to God the glory of it, as one ought, without attributing anything to oneself and without the honey’s sticking to one’s hands, or taking any vain satisfaction therein, but remaining as deep plunged in one’s humility and lowliness as though one had no part therein, and as though the honor were being paid not to oneself, but to another—this is very high perfection and a most profound humility.

Now this is the humility to which we ought to aspire, especially those of us who are called, not to be put into a corner and hidden beneath the dustbin, but to be set on high like a city seated on a mountain, and like a cresset on a stand to enlighten and give light to the world. For such a position it is necessary to have laid one’s foundations deep, and to have a great desire, so far as it rests with us, to be despised and disregarded, a desire springing from a deep sense of our own misery and vileness and nothingness, such a desire as St. Francis had when he fell to kneading the clay with his feet in order to be taken for a fool. From this deep self-knowledge which he had, and from which came his desire to be despised and disregarded, it also came about that, when they honored him and kissed his habit and feet, he felt no vanity and thought no more of himself on that account, but remained plunged in his lowliness and humility as if they were paying him no honor, attributing and referring it all to God. Thus, though these two actions of St. Francis seem so contrary to one another, they sprang from the same root and spirit of humility.