The Grace of Disappearing

humility is expressed in selflessness and a life of service

I am sure many people could say that at some point in their life they have met someone who is obviously holy. I know I have, several times. As Lent begins, it would be good to reflect on what habits or characteristics (virtues) a holy person typically possesses that might kindle a desire within our hearts to grow in those areas also. Of these, humility is the trait which seems to be a shared characteristic among all the saints, (those canonized and those who remain hidden but for our experience of them). Their humility is expressed in selflessness and a life of service which seems to flow naturally. However, their humility is rooted in a life of prayer which builds up an intimate relationship with God from whom all graces flow. Therefore, it is clear that if we desire to grow in holiness we need to foster a relationship with God; the more our relationship grows, the more His love and mercy are received, and the more these are received, the greater our love of Him becomes. What we notice in holy people is that they love the Lord so much that as a response humble actions of love and mercy are offered freely to those they encounter. No matter what hardships or suffering they might endure, they continue to do all they can to make God known and loved, building up the Body of Christ, the Church. 

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the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand

The great theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar once said, “The saints are those who disappear into the mission of the Church.” This disappearing is an act of aligning themselves completely with what Jesus taught and the apostles built upon. Von Balthasar was referring to the action of a humble heart; ‘disappearing’ is not the obliteration of one’s sense of self, but rather a becoming one with the mission Jesus gave His first disciples. He told them to go to the towns of Israel with a simple message, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” but His emphasis was on curing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, and driving out demons. (Matthew 10:6-8) In other words, He wanted them to speak less and act more. Jesus was aware that people were in need of teaching, but He also knew that it is authenticity in actions, (living what we profess), that makes the deepest impression. Therefore, if we live the gospel message in humility, those whom we serve, even with simple acts of kindness, will eventually want to know more about the One we follow. We can be as eloquent as St. Paul, but if our words do not match our deeds, it will not make much of a difference.* 

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humility...enables one to love without judgment of the other

​Unfortunately, many people do not understand what humility is really about. True humility is not self-deprecation, and so ‘disappearing’ does not mean we are to see ourselves as unimportant; rather, the true humility we seek is to know who we are, acknowledging this reality with gratitude to God. If we are fully grounded in knowledge of ourselves, our weaknesses and strengths, sinful tendencies and giftedness, errors and successes, recognizing who we are before God and trying to live in accord with His will, then we are humble. The humble are full of gratitude which arises from acceptance of the mercy God offers; as sinners they know that they do not deserve it, but they accept it gladly as gift of love from God. This knowledge enables them to see those who may be struggling with life, perhaps with addictions, bad habits, loss of faith, or who are treated as outcasts, reaching out to them in love, accepting them as brothers and sisters. The wonderful thing about humility is that it enables one to love without judgment of the other and to see beyond exterior characteristics and society’s labels. In other words, it enables them to see as Jesus sees and therefore to love as He loves, too. 

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the poverty of our heart

An integral aspect of true humility is the recognition that in truth we have absolutely nothing to offer God that He does not already have, except for one thing: the poverty of our heart offered in love to Him. And the offer of our heart to Him is all God really desires. God will fill our battered and broken heart with His grace and therefore we will be moved to make a response of love and gratitude. This process is enabled through prayer (especially with Scripture), repentance, fasting, and abstinence. Especially beneficial is time spent meditating upon the freely chosen suffering of Jesus during His Passion, meditating on the immensity of the love we don’t deserve, but receive anyway as His gift of unfathomable, limitless mercy. And of course, these are the practices the Church emphasizes during the season of Lent. They enable us to enter into His suffering, to repent for our part in it, and assist our growth in holiness through increased understanding of God’s love and mercy. 

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humbly love Jesus and Mary as much as we can

​Finally, if there is one thing that the saints universally offer it is this rather simple ‘formula’ for holiness: to humbly love Jesus and Mary as much as we can. Mary is the perfect model of humility who always points us to her Son whom she loves with the purest love there is. When we love them as much as possible it will move us to always seek to please them, and therefore, to act with humility in holiness. Thus, with grace our focus will be greater than disappearing into the mission of the Church, but rather, our desire will be to disappear into the very heart of Christ.

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may we seek to grow in humility

May we desire to grow in humility as a loving response to God! May we seek to become one with the mission of the Church, the Body of Christ! And may we seek to love Jesus and Mary more and more so that in loving them, we ‘preach,’ and therefore share, this love with others! Let us meet in the Heart of Jesus! Peace!

​                               ©Michele L. Catanese


*A good example is found in the Gospel of John when Jesus healed the man born blind in Jerusalem. A short while after the encounter the man sought Jesus out and subsequently professed his faith: “I do believe, Lord!” (John 9:37-39) In this case it was the mercy of Jesus that built up his faith; it was the action of mercy, rather than words.

“You should above all insist on what is the foundation of the Christian sanctity and the foundation of kindness: on the virtue from which our divine Teacher and our angelic Father proposed to us as models. I am talking about humility: internal and external humility, more internal than external, more by living it than shown, more profound than visible.”
Letter of Padre Pio, August 19th, 1918, to Fr Gerardo da Deliceto 

Images:
1. My photo; the bed of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, taken in Pollone, Italy.
2. Painting; He Sent Them Out Two by Two, by James Tissot. For more: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4517
3. Painting; The Road Menders, by Vincent van Gogh.
4. My photo; view in Iceland, near Reykjavik. 
5. Icon; The Three Handed Mother of God, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. To obtain a copy of this icon in one of many mediums, go to https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-three-handed-mother-of-god-102-william-hart-mcnichols.html
For an explanation of the significance of why Mary is written with three hands in this icon, go to www.oca.org/saints/lives/2017/06/28/101839-icon-of-the-mother-of-god-of-the-three-hands
I chose this because I see the three hands in this way: one is pointing to Jesus, which Mary always does; the second is holding Jesus which represents her role as His mother, and the third is a hand beckoning us to come near, perhaps to share intimacy with Jesus or simply to follow.
6. My photo; flowers, taken in Granna, Sweden. St. Thérèse of Lisieux said she wanted to be a little flower in God's garden: that is the statement of a humble, holy woman.
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Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. 

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