POPE FRANCIS

MORNING MEDITATION IN THE CHAPEL OF THE
DOMUS SANCTAE MARTHAE

The golden rule of humility

Monday, 8 April 2013

(by L'Osservatore Romano, Weekly ed. in English, n. 16, 17 April 2013)

Humility is the “golden rule”. “Advancing”, for Christians, means “lowering themselves”. It is precisely on the humble path, chosen by God, that love and charity proceed, as Pope Francis mentioned in his homily at Mass on Monday morning, 8 April, in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

Concelebrating were Archbishop José Horacio Gómez of Los Angeles, Bishop Mario Grech of Gozo and Mons. Dario Edoardo Viganò, Director of the Vatican Television Centre (ctv), whose staff were taking part along with the broadcasters of Vatican Radio Brazilian Programme, several religious, including the Sisters of Charity who renewed their profession of faith, and Arturo Mari, former photographer of L'Osservatore Romano.

The whole history of faith, the Pope said, is made of humility and “speaks of humility to us all”. This likewise applies to the historical event of Jesus' Birth. It seems that God wanted every event “to be concealed, that it not be made public”, that it be, as it were, overshadowed by the Holy Spirit”. This is why, the Pope added, “everything happens on the road of humility. God, humble, lowers himself: he comes among us and lowers himself — and he continues to humble himself even to the Cross”.

“Mary”, at the Annunciation, Pope Francis said, also “humbles herself: she does not properly understand, but she is free: she grasps only the essential, and says ‘yes’. She is humble: ‘May God's will be done’. She entrusts her soul to God's will”. “Joseph, her betrothed, also lowers himself and takes this great responsibility upon his shoulders”. Joseph “also says ‘yes’ to the angel when in his dream the angel tells him of this truth”.

The attitude of Mary and Joseph shows that “to reach us, God’s whole love takes the path of humility. The humble God who wanted to walk with his people”. “God, humble and so good. The patient God. This is different from the attitude of idols; idols are powerful and make themselves heard: ‘it is I who command here!’”.

“Our God — for he is true, he is not a false God, he is true; he is not a wooden God made by men, he is real — thus he opted for the path of humility”, the Holy Father explained. “All this love comes from this way of humility. Being humble does not mean following the road with one’s eyes eyes cast down: no, no! Humility is what God as well as Mary and Joseph teach us”. “Humility”, is Jesus' humility which ends on the Cross, and this is the golden rule for Christians: to persevere, to advance and to humble themselves. There is no other path. Unless I humble myself, unless you humble yourself, you are not Christian.

He concluded: I think we should say “lowering ourselves”. Let us look at Jesus and ask for the grace of humility. If humility is absent love has no access; let us ask for the grace of humility — from Our Lady, from St Joseph and from Jesus”.