Humility
It’s gone out of fashion. Even in Christian circles we associate humility with the mothballed faith of our grandmothers. These days we have more hip spiritual practices, like living in the present moment and doing yoga and advocating for GLBTQA rights. Why bother groveling? With anything that might undermine our pride? Spirituality’s supposed to make us feel good, right? Lately I’ve been reading some Benedictine spirituality. Joan Chittister believes the Rule of Saint Benedict is a relevant and alive document, one that speaks directly to the contemporary consciousness. In my skepticism, I came across this question in the Rule—“Who will dwell in your tent, O God?”—and Benedict’s answer: “These people reverence God, and do not become elated over their good deeds; they judge it is God’s strength, not their own, that brings about the good in them. They praise the Holy One working in them, and say with the prophet: …