Humility can be a rare commodity these days. It’s not often spoken of in business or in the halls of government as a virtue to be pursued. Instead, popular books on the “rules of power” frame it as a personal deficiency that should at least be hidden if it cannot be overcome.
Such views betray a misunderstanding. Humility does not equal weakness or a lack of confidence, nor does it mean pretending that you are unworthy and have nothing of value to contribute. To the contrary, humility is not about you at all. It’s about thinking of others more than yourself.
Real humility acknowledges that God has created each of us with certain strengths and weaknesses. Our strengths are meant to serve others, while our weaknesses are meant to show us our need for God and our need for others. Humility gives us the courage — and it takes courage — to acknowledge our weaknesses and ask for help. It allows us to move beyond the prison of our own self-interest and value the gifts and talents that others bring to the table. In short, humility gives God’s grace the space to work.
True humility is a virtue and a sign of personal strength, even freedom. The humble leader knows how to “get out of his own way.” He’s willing to subordinate his ego and focus on the strengths and needs of others. He sets others at ease because he has no need to prove his superiority. And he is often the most effective of leaders because he is willing to listen, surrounding himself with the best people he can, recognizing their gifts and learning from them. This gives him the knowledge and tools to make the best decisions possible.
The opposite of humility is pride — what St. Gregory the Great called the queen of vices. Last year, during a series of Wednesday audiences on virtues and vices, Pope Francis noted that pride “ruins human relationships [and] poisons the feelings of fraternity that should unite men.”
We see the destructive nature of pride everywhere we turn — even in our families, our workplaces and our K of C councils. Pride leads to division and rivalries that block God’s grace and prevent us from advancing the mission he has given us, whereas humility brings unity and collaboration. As St. James writes, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jas 4:6).
The Church has powerful examples of humility in the saints and blesseds, including Blessed Michael McGivney. When he founded the Knights of Columbus at age 29, he surrounded himself with some of the very best men he knew: Civil War veterans, lawyers, policemen, small-business owners — all of whom were making their way in a society beset with fierce anti-Catholic bigotry. These men pleaded with Father McGivney to be their leader, the first supreme knight. In humility, he declined, believing the Order’s mission would be better served with laymen at the helm.
It would have been easy for Father McGivney to set himself up as our first leader, but he knew it wasn’t about him. It was about the mission — and recognizing the gifts of others. This simple, humble decision allowed the Knights to flourish to this day, even though Father McGivney died just eight years after the Order’s founding.
Pope Francis concluded his cycle of catechesis on the virtues and vices last May by reflecting on the centrality of humility. “Humility is the source of peace in the world and in the Church,” he said. “And humility is precisely the way, the path of salvation.”
God has accomplished much through the humility of Father McGivney, and he can do the same with you and me. “So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast your worries upon him because he cares for you” (1 Pt 5:6-7).
Vivat Jesus!
By Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly