Humility

Humility is the firm foundation upon which every Christian should build his spiritual life. It is the virtue which keeps within just limits the love of one's own excellence.

Humility keeps us in our place.

Humility is truth.  Through humility, we come to know ourselves as we really are.  We come to know ourselves in relation to God, in relation to other men, and to know our proper place.

“Do not forget your purpose and destiny as God’s child. What you are in his sight is what you are and nothing more.” -St. Francis of Assisi

To esteem thyself is to forget what thou art. Consider thyself in reference to God; reflect on what He is and what thou art in His sight... If thou art truly wise, thou wilt rejoice in God alone, thou wilt hope in God alone; for none is good but God alone, Who is to be praised above all and to be blessed in all.

In the sight of God, you are a creature entirely dependent on God for existence.  You received your life from God and cannot subsist independently of God.  God maintains life in you.  Everything you possess and accomplish are gifts from God; you cannot perform any action without God's cooperation.

"Without Me, you can do nothing." - John 15:5

"...The first thing of which we must be convinced is that all the good we can do comes from God and from Him alone: Apart from me, you can do nothing, Jesus said (John 15:5) He didn't say you can't do much, but, you can do nothing. It is essential that we be persuaded of this truth" -Fr. Jaques Philippe, Searching for & Maintaining Peace

We need actual grace from God to perform supernatural acts.  No amount of knowledge can be put into practice without actual grace from God.  We are totally dependent on God.  Our own intellect and virtues are not sufficient.  

"Our sufficiency is from God," - St. Paul (2 Cor 3:5)  

Our human nature is limited and injured by original sin.  If we remove from ourselves what is of God, we will find that we are nothing...

The human body is frail, sinful, weary, and sorrowful.  We are frail and unstable.  Never think anything great of yourself.

The soul needs God so much that it can do nothing without Him. 

God constantly takes part in your life.

God sustains you constantly by His grace.

You are not able to rely on your own strength and resources.  Come before God with the humble trust of a child.

"When we observe in ourselves a desire for something brilliant, let us humbly take our place with the imperfect and know that we are weak souls who must be sustained every instant by God." - St. Therese of Lisieux

God alone is good, and God alone can make me good.

God alone is just, and God alone can justify me.

God alone is holy, and God alone can make me holy.

The good in me is a pure gift from God; I cannot claim it for my own.  

Just as a poor man cannot give wealth to himself, neither can a proud man give himself humility.

No one can remain faithful to their duty without Divine Aid.

As long as a soul depends solely on itself, it is not ready to be sanctified, nor to cooperate in the sanctification of others.

Never say 'What great things the saints do!' but 'What great things God does in His saints!'" - St. Philip Neri

The awareness of your human insufficiency should inspire you to great confidence in God. It is the consciousness of our nothingness which leads us to put all of our confidence in God.

O Lord, make me understand that I am nothing, that I can do nothing by myself, and that only in You can I accomplish anything!

Trust God in times of adversity; put your full confidence in Him rather than trusting in your own strength and ability.  The victory will come to those who have great faith.

Peter "worked all night without catching anything."  By himself, he caught nothing.  God lets our works amount to nothing so we can see and grasp our weaknesses, our nothingness without Him.  We have to be aware of this nothingness and admit it openly.  Then we can have complete confidence in divine aid.

"O Jesus, unite my heart to Yours and consume everything in it that is displeasing to you; unite all that I am to all that you are, that You may supply for everything that I lack!" - St. Margaret Mary

No matter how holy you may feel, never trust yourself too far.  Refuse to rely on yourself alone.  Without God, you are nothing and without His help you can do nothing worthy of heaven.

"If creatures are good, they are so only because God has communicated to them a little of His goodness.  Of itself, the creature cannot even exist, therefore it cannot possess any good of its own." - Fr. Gabriel.