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The word humility has many meanings. There is humility of virtue, for example, when it is said: “God will not despise a broken and humble heart” (Ps. 50:19). There is humility from misfortunes; It also happens from sins. There is humility from pride, for example, when it is said: “he who exalts himself will be humbled” (Luke 18:14). There is another kind of humility - from insatiability. What is more despicable than those who bury themselves in wealth, power and glory? Such people are low in two respects: firstly, because they crawl on the earth; secondly, because they consider such things important, like small children who consider grandmothers, balls and other toys important. This is a sign not that the things themselves are important, but that those who deal with them have an imperfect and base mind. However, in children this is a defect of age and nature, and in those it is a fault of will. A man who has become a husband and reached full age considers feasting, fornication and luxury important - what could be more contemptible than this? Many even call such people people of great soul, but they themselves are even much more despicable than them. Let us know what true greatness consists of and what causes baseness. Nothing makes so high as contempt for the things mentioned (3). Divine Scripture indicates many types of humility: sometimes meekness of spirit is called by this name: “learn,” says, for example, Christ, “from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29); sometimes - humility that comes from punishment sent for our correction, which is why David says: it is good for me that You humbled me (Ps. 119:71); sometimes - humility that comes from punishment with torment, as a result of which the punished becomes worthy of shame, as, for example, when it is said about the devil: You humbled the proud as if wounded (Ps. 89:11) (3). No matter how much you humble yourself, you can never humble yourself as much as your Master humbled himself. However, this humiliation of Him became an exaltation for everyone and revealed His glory. Before He became man, He was known only to the Angels; and when he became a man and was crucified, then he did not diminish the glory that he had, but also acquired a new one, being known to the universe. Do not be afraid to lose your honor because you humble yourself; through humility your glory will be more exalted and spread. It is the door to the Kingdom. Why go through the opposite door? Why arm yourself against yourself? If we want to appear great, we will not become great, but we will be more dishonest than everyone else (7). Blessed are Christians who are humble in their minds even when they are clothed with high dignity. Are you humble, having high merit? Humility does not harm you at all: in the eyes of God you remain as you really are. If you humble yourself without expecting the blow of fate, then humiliation, no matter where it comes from, will not be a surprise to you: you will come out ready to fight. David spoke well about this: I prepared myself without embarrassment (Ps. 119:60). So, let us avoid arrogance, let us avoid vanity, let us love Christ and for Christ’s sake the poor, so that He who enriches all, who has mercy on all according to His bounties, may grant the church flock to always blossom in piety under the leadership of the farmer of righteousness, who recently left us for another purpose, but who is always with us through the power of spiritual intercession (9). There is nothing equal to humility: it is the source, root, nourisher, foundation and union of all good things; without it we are miserable, filthy and unclean. Imagine, if you want, that someone raises the dead, heals the lame, cleanses lepers, but with pride: nothing can be worse, more wicked and more guilty than him. Don't consider anything yours. Do you have the word and the gift of teaching? Do not think that through this you have anything more than others. Therefore, in particular, you must humble yourself because you have been awarded great gifts. He who is forgiven more must love more (see Luke 7:47). That’s why you should humble yourself because God, bypassing others, looked upon you. Therefore, be afraid, since this often leads to your destruction if you are not attentive (10). There are many types of humility; humility can be seen in word and in deed, in relation to superiors and in relation to subordinates. Do you want me to present you with examples of humility? Some are humble with the humble and arrogant with the arrogant; This is not humility. Others are not like this, but in relation to each person at different times both humility and importance are observed; This is primarily humility (10). A humble person is pleasing and pleasing to everyone, lives in constant peace and has no reason for enmity. Whether you insult him, reproach him or say anything to him, he will remain silent and endure it with meekness and will have such peace with everyone that it is impossible to express, and at the same time with God. And God’s commandments are aimed at this, so that we can be at peace with people, and our whole life is good when we are at peace with each other; No one can harm God: He, by His nature, is not subject to the influence of evil and is above all passion. Nothing makes a Christian more admirable than humility. Listen to how Abraham says: “I am dust and ashes” (Gen. 18:27); or God about Moses - that he was the meekest of all people (see Numbers 12:3). No one was more humble than him: ruling such a people, drowning both the king and the entire Egyptian army in the sea like flies, having accomplished such deeds in Egypt, in the Red Sea and in the desert, having received such a testimony, he behaved like an ordinary person. And the son-in-law was more humble than his father-in-law and accepted his advice; was not offended and did not say: “What is this? after such and such matters, have you come to advise me?” Many people do this, even if we offer them the best advice, disdaining the advisee for his modesty. But he's not like that; on the contrary, he did everything with humility. That is why he despised the royal palaces, because he was truly humble; humility makes our mind sound and elevated. In fact, isn’t it a sign of his high wisdom and great soul that he despised both the house and the royal table? The kings of the Egyptians were revered as gods and enjoyed countless riches and treasures: but he left all this, rejected the very scepter of Egypt and withdrew to the captives and oppressed, exhausted with clay and bricks, despised by his very slaves - the Egyptians, it is said, abhorred them (Ex. 1:12-14); he preferred these people to the rulers. This is how the humble can be tall and generous! After all, pride is a sign of a low mind and an ignoble soul, while meekness is a sign of a high and great soul (12). Let us be humble so that we may become high: “Whoever humbles himself,” says [the Lord], “will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). An arrogant person is not like that; on the contrary, he is the most insignificant of all; and the bubble is inflated, but its fullness is empty; That’s why we call such people inflated. The humble man, even with his greatness, does not think much about himself, knowing his humility, but the insignificant one, even with his smallness, imagines a lot about himself. Let us achieve greatness through humility; Let us remember the nature of [everything] human, so that we may be inflamed with desire for the future. There is no other way to become humble than by love for the divine and contempt for the present. Just as someone who expects to receive the Kingdom, if he were offered some private honor instead of purple, would consider it as nothing, so we will laugh at everything present if we are inflamed with a desire for future honor (12). You might be interested in: