{"id":24790,"date":"2009-07-11T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-07-11T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/2009\/07\/saint-benedict-and-his-12-degr\/"},"modified":"2009-07-11T07:00:00","modified_gmt":"2009-07-11T11:00:00","slug":"saint-benedict-and-his-12-degr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/2009\/07\/saint-benedict-and-his-12-degr\/","title":{"rendered":"Saint Benedict (and his 12 degrees of humility)"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/span><\/p>\n

God our Father, You made Saint Benedict an outstanding guide
\nto teach men how to live in your service. Grant that be preferring your love to
\neverything else we may walk in the way of your commandments.<\/i><\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

\"St<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Famous for his work on the 12 degrees of humility, Saint Benedict proposes the following for those who want to advance in the spiritual life. The degrees of humility are given below.<\/p>\n

The first degree of humility<\/b>, then, is that a man always
\nhave the fear of God before his eyes (cf Ps 35[36]:2), shunning all
\nforgetfulness and that he be ever mindful of all that God hath commanded, that
\nhe always consider in his mind how those who despise God will burn in hell for
\ntheir sins, and that life everlasting is prepared for those who fear God. And
\nwhilst he guard himself evermore against sin and vices of thought, word, deed,
\nand self-will, let him also hasten to cut off the desires of the flesh.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The second degree of humility<\/b> is, when a man love not his
\nown will, nor is pleased to fulfill his own desires but by his deeds carried
\nout that word of the Lord which said: “I came not to do My own will but
\nthe will of Him that sent Me” (Jn 6:38). It is likewise said:
\n“Self-will hath its punishment, but necessity win the crown.”<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The third degree of humility<\/b> is, that for the love of God a
\nman subject himself to a Superior in all obedience, imitating the Lord, of whom
\nthe Apostle said: “He became obedient unto death” (Phil 2:8).<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The fourth degree of humility<\/b> is, that, if hard and
\ndistasteful things are commanded, nay, even though injuries are inflicted, he
\naccept them with patience and even temper, and not grow weary or give up, but
\nhold out, as the Scripture said: “He that shall persevere unto the end
\nshall be saved” (Mt 10:22). And again: “Let thy heart take courage,
\nand wait thou for the Lord” (Ps 26[27]:14).<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The fifth degree of humility<\/b> is, when one hides from his
\nAbbot none of the evil thoughts which rise in his heart or the evils committed
\nby him in secret, but humbly confesses them. Concerning this the Scripture
\nexhorts us, saying: “Reveal thy way to the Lord and trust in Him” (Ps
\n36[37]:5). And it said further: “Confess to the Lord, for He is good, for
\nHis mercy endures forever” (Ps 105[106]:1; Ps 117[118]:1). And the Prophet
\nlikewise said: “I have acknowledged my sin to Thee and my injustice I have
\nnot concealed. I said I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord;
\nand Thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sins” (Ps 31[32]:5).<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The sixth degree of humility<\/b> is, when a monk is content with
\nthe meanest and worst of everything, and in all that is enjoined him holds
\nhimself as a bad and worthless workman, saying with the Prophet: “I am
\nbrought to nothing and I knew it not; I am become as a beast before Thee, and I
\nam always with Thee” (Ps 72[73]:22-23).<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The seventh degree of humility<\/b> is, when, not only with his
\ntongue he declares, but also in his inmost soul believeth, that he is the
\nlowest and vilest of men, humbling himself and saying with the Prophet:
\n“But I am a worm and no man, the reproach of men and the outcast of the
\npeople” (Ps 21[22]:7).<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The eighth degree of humility<\/b> is, when a monk doeth nothing
\nbut what is sanctioned by the common rule of the monastery and the example of
\nhis elders.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The ninth degree of humility<\/b> is, when a monk withholds his
\ntongue from speaking, and keeping silence doth not speak until he is asked; for
\nthe Scripture shows that “in a multitude of words there shall not want
\nsin” (Prov 10:19); and that “a man full of tongue is not established
\nin the earth” (Ps 139[140]:12).<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The tenth degree of humility<\/b> is, when a monk is not easily
\nmoved and quick for laughter, for it is written: “The fool exalts his
\nvoice in laughter” (Sir 21:23).<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The eleventh degree of humility<\/b> is, that, when a monk speaks,
\nhe speak gently and without laughter, humbly and with gravity, with few and
\nsensible words, and that he be not loud of voice, as it is written: “The
\nwise man is known by the fewness of his words.”<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The twelfth degree of humility<\/b> is, when a monk is not only
\nhumble of heart, but always lets it appear also in his whole exterior to all
\nthat see him; namely, at the Work of God, in the garden, on a journey, in the
\nfield, or wherever he may be, sitting, walking, or standing, let him always have
\nhis head bowed down, his eyes fixed on the ground, ever holding himself guilty
\nof his sins, thinking that he is already standing before the dread judgment
\nseat of God, and always saying to himself in his heart what the publican in the
\nGospel said, with his eyes fixed on the ground: “Lord, I am a sinner and
\nnot worthy to lift up mine eyes to heaven” (Lk 18:13); and again with the
\nProphet: “I am bowed down and humbled exceedingly” (Ps 37[38]:7-9; Ps
\n118[119]:107)<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

God our Father, You made Saint Benedict an outstanding guide to teach men how to live in your service. Grant that be preferring your love to everything else we may walk in the way of your commandments. Famous for his work on the 12 degrees of humility, Saint Benedict proposes the following for those who … Continue reading Saint Benedict (and his 12 degrees of humility)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,37,2],"tags":[1727,1943,1814,1746],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24790"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24790\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}