Today, the handbook continues to discuss the virtue of humility in reference to Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary. As we point out the last time, the virtue of humility is the virtue by which we know our place in the universe which God has created, as place not too low, not too high, but in precisely the right position.
The handbook compares the virtues of a good legionary and the virtues of a good soldier in a secular army. What is main difference, according to the handbook? The virtue of humility as modeled and practiced by the Mother of God. While there is little to disagree with in this passage, my mind kept returning to the notion at the very basis of all Christian theology that the grace of God always builds upon nature.
There is, of course, no contradiction between the realms of nature and grace. In fact, the Source of nature itself is Uncreated Grace, that is, the Person of the Holy Spirit, Who brings creation into being and sustains it. In this sense, nature (the physical creation) is itself a grace, a gift that is given to the mankind for our sustenance and salvation. The Book of Psalms says as much, "the heaven of the heavens is the Lord's, but the earth He has given to the children of men."
Grace always builds upon nature. Every virtue (save three) that is infused into us in the Mysteries of Baptism and Confirmation has already a form that is natural and acquired. Further, in turns out, this is true of the virtue at issue in this passage: humility. The handbook says that the secular soldier might well fail in the virtues that would make him a good soldier. These virtues are enumerated: courage, obedience, etc. But then, the handbook says by contrast that the failure of a legionary is in the virtue of humility. Is the contrast really that marked? I would argue no. The legionary is unable to exist with merely the virtue of humility, as if courage and obedience were not necessary for him or her. Such a humility would not be a true humility. At the same time, even a secular soldier must possess a natural virtue of humility. Without it, his courage and obedience are just vainglory.
The natural virtue of humility is a certain knowledge of one's limitations, a knowledge of what one can do, and what one cannot accomplish. It is an essential virtue in every human endeavor, because it prevents the individual from making false promises, from promising too much. In wartime, many lives may depend on the individual's ability to truly, accurately assay his limitations. This is the essential natural virtue upon which the supernatural virtue of humility is based. Grace always builds on nature. This lesson is powerfully conveyed to us in the Liturgy. There are two "catholic incensations," meaning offerings of incense in which the whole temple is censed. There is one at the beginning of the service, representing creation itself. Then, there is a second at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, representing the Lord's life-giving suffering and death, which effect a substantial re-creation of the world. So it is that the same symbol signifies the inaugurations of nature and grace. Christian incense can't be just anything. We begin from what God has revealed in the Old Testament. God likes the gum of certain trees. These are the trees that grew in Paradise, before our race's fall into sin. The fragrance of the gum of these trees reminds us of Paradise and its eventual restoration in the age to come. You see how this whole ritual complex of things is itself one extended, beautiful example of the way that grace builds on nature.
Knowing our limitations in respect to nature is one thing. To be aware of our limitations in respect to grace is something completely different. In respect to grace, our limitations are total. We cannot do anything. Any movement we make towards the accomplishment of some goal in the realm of grace is merely a meager sign of our consent for God to come and do everything for us. The Liturgy shows us this as well. In the order of nature, we have accomplished everything. We have baked bread, we have prepared wine, we set them in order, offering them through prayer. We have traversed the entire creation, as far as we can naturally go. God must intervene by His grace to build on nature. He it is that must change our offerings into the Mysteries of His Body and Precious Blood.
It seems to me then that the legionary has to strive to be perfected in natural humility (a concept, in it seems, that includes both courage and obedience, especially obedience to circumstance). Then, at our asking, God must intervene to perfect our natural efforts with supernatural humility. Both are necessary. We have to strive, but, for supernatural virtues we have to pray. Work and pray with all confidence in God.
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