Striving for humility

Have you ever prayed the litany of humility? It is probably one of the most radical pleas I've ever encountered. It's power lies in how deeply it embodies Jesus' desire for us to serve. We must strive for this- to be not the greatest, but the lowest. For everything will be overturned when facing eternal life. Those last will be first. Think of Christ's parents on Earth- Joseph who has not a single phrase recorded in the Bible, and our Blessed Mother, who also, while barely mentioned, in her brief words exclaims, "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done unto me according to your word". We must recall our littleness in comparison to that of Christ, He without who we cannot achieve anything. 

It is so important to also beware of preaching but not practicing. Is our image as how we appear to others more important than our image in the sight of God? Do we want to be recognized and praised by people, or by God? In actuality we can't have birth. The first truth of the Beatitudes indeed declares, "Blessed are the poor in spirit". True piety is found in our fasting almsgiving, and prayer, in private, as God sees us in secret.

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