Saturday, August 20 : Saint Benedict

Holy Scripture cries out to us, brethren, saying: “Anyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” When it so speaks, it teaches us that all exaltation is a kind of pride, which the prophet shows that he shunned in the words: “O Lord, my heart is not proud nor haughty my eyes; neither have I dwelt on high things, nor on marvels beyond my reach. (Ps 131[130]:1) (…) Wherefore, brethren, if we wish to attain to the summit of humility and desire to arrive speedily at the heavenly exaltation to which we ascend by the humility of our present life, then we must set up a ladder of ascending actions like that which Jacob saw in his vision, on which angels appeared to him “descending and ascending” (Gen 28:12). By that descent and ascent we must surely understand nothing else than this: that we descend by self-exaltation and ascend by humility. And the ladder erected is our life in this world, which, for the humble of heart, is raised up by the Lord to heaven. (…) The first degree of humility, then, is that we keep the fear of God before our eyes, altogether shunning forgetfulness, and let us ever remember all the commandments of God. (…) In order then that the monk may be careful regarding his wrongful thoughts, let the good brother say constantly in his heart: “Then shall I be spotless before him if I keep myself from sin” (Ps 18[17]:24). We are, indeed, forbidden to do our own will by Scripture, which says to us: “Turn away from your own will” (Sir 18:30). Moreover, we ask God in prayer that his will be done in us (…). “The eyes of the Lord keep watch on the evil and the good; the Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there is one who is wise and seeks God” (Prv 15:3; Ps 14[13]:2). (…) Then, when all the degrees of humility have been climbed, the monk will presently come to that perfect love of God which casts out all fear (1 Jn 4:18). In this way he will begin to observe without labor, as though naturally and by habit, all those precepts that formerly he did not observe without fear (…) for love of Christ and through good habit and delight in virtue. And these things the Lord will deign to manifest by the power of his Spirit in his worker.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team