So, I hung around after mass this past weekend to attend Ascension’s youth group. Chelsea gave a good talk and then challenged each of us to grow in humility. So, as a result, I have been thinking about that today.

What does it mean to be humble? What are the qualities of a person who is humble? Those are such hard questions to answer. I think that deep down, humility is something that requires absolute, wild self-abandon.

Now, with regards to humility, where do you draw the line? What’s the difference between self-gratifying comments and feedback? Is humility in not receiving the comment? Perhaps not. Is humility in how you take the comment? I think so.

When I was in college, I had a hard time accepting comments and/or praise from other people about my work. I thought that I was being humble in not accepting those. "Perhaps," I thought, "if I don’t accept praise, then I am humble because in accepting, I am acknowledging myself, which isn’t humble." However, I mentioned this to friends, who quickly changed my perspective. They told me that it was less humble to reject the praise, because it could be seen as thinking that you aren’t grateful for someone else’s comments. Wow! I never thought of it that way.

Instead, we concluded that it was better to thank the person for their comment, and to receive it in humility - namely, not going around and tooting your own horn. To me, it seems that humility lies not in the praise you receive, but in thanking a person for that praise with a sincere heart. That sincerety is the self-abandonment to me. If you are absolutely sincere, your thankful reception of praise is a mirror, in a way, re-directing the person’s joy in praising you upon themselves, as they receive the joy of a sincere reply, knowing their comment was taken to heart.

May you grow in humility within your own life, and always receive people with absolute self-abandon.

Peace.