Surprising Grace

"Humility" is a much-prized Christian virtue (though perhaps somewhat less practiced!). So I remember being surprised when once I mentioned this in a conversation with a friend who was not a Christian and he was puzzled. "Is humility a good thing?" he asked. "Isn't it better to be proud?" When Afra sent me the reflection posted here on Thursday , then, I was curious and asked her what "humility" meant to her. "It is not thinking less about myself," she said (quoting), "but thinking about myself less. It also means that God's love is enough. My life is for God and others." Another explanation someone else insightfully gave me once was that: "Humility is accepting the truth about yourself". So, understood in this way humility isn't about having low self-esteem, or putting ourselves down, or letting ourselves be walked over like doormats -- which would NOT be a virtue! Rather, it has something to do...

Our guest writer this week is Afra. One day a friend said to us jokingly, “You know…I am a humble person.”  Another friend added spontaneously, “…and proud of it!”  Hearing this, all of us roared in laughter.  Such is the paradox: how come you claim to be humble yet at the same time be proud (or boastful) about it? That piece of conversation stayed deep within me.  There is truth in it: when it comes to be that I am proud to be humble, I am not humble anymore then.  So, how can I have a humble heart? I remember a story about a saint  who, when he was given the gift of miracles, chose that he might do a great deal of good without ever knowing it.  And it was granted.  His shadow had the power to cure disease, soothe pain and comfort sorrow.  Wherever he went, people walked behind him or waited for his shadow and they were healed. What a grace to be able to ask that! I don’t think I am near to being a humble person yet. I know that I...