Humility and power

THEY have to go together. Power, with its corrupting potentials, is in great need of humility. And humility, properly lived, always has a certain power that can go beyond human recognition and even shorn of power’s earthly trappings.

This pair should not be decoupled in our mind nor in our deeds, because in the will of God, in the ultimate reality of things, humility and power are meant for each other. Disaster can surely come when the two are separated.

We need to bring this piece of truth to public notice, since it seems it is not only ignored but is also increasingly denied and ridiculed, especially by our leaders, whether in politics, business, etc.

The world culture seems to make the two not only strangers to each other, but opponents as well. This is a dangerous drift that can only end up in a calamity, not so much in the physical and material sense as in the spiritual.

Human civilization would enter the dreaded stage of decadence and eventual death when no regular correctives are made in this delicate relationship between humility and power. Its needed renewal would be denied and its growth arrested when we persist in living our humility and power in the wrong way.

The example of God, as shown by our faith, is quite clear in this regard. His tremendous power of creation which could be carried out in an instant, in just an utterance of a word, has to contend with a long and serpentine process of gestation, birth, development, decay, death then gestation again…

Especially in the case of man, on whom God took the risk of giving powers similar to his, God has to contend with the humbling possibility of us abusing these powers.

And even when that possibility became a reality, God’s power did not lessen since he had the will to recover us by sending us his Son to make things right again. This took place by way of the most humbling and painful death of Christ on the cross.

St. Paul expressed this truth very beautifully when he said that Christ “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men…He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.” (Phil 2,7-8)

In Christ’s death on the cross, we see the perfect blending of humility and power. This is the model followed by all the saints and the men and women of good will who actually wielded power in humility and left tremendous effects on the world that can’t be measured simply in economic or political terms.

Mary’s example validates this truth best. When she said in the Magnificat, “He has regarded the humility of his handmaid, and behold all generations shall call me blessed,” she simply described how she lived her power as the Mother of Christ in humility, and what effects it made.

Even in our human affairs, we can readily detect the close, mutual relationship between humility and power. Unless affected by malice and other undue schemes, we can readily detect that the pursuit and possession of power, whether in terms of knowledge, health, wealth, fame, political status, etc., can only be made possible and be enhanced when done in humility.

To be a doctor or lawyer or digerati, there’s no way but to study hard, do a lot of practice, and attend to a hundred and one of activities. This is humility in action. It’s what attracts power in its various forms to us, and maintains and exercises it properly.

We cannot learn anything unless we are humble. Our prayer cannot prosper, cannot touch base with God, with the Spirit, when it is not done in humility. We cannot exercise political power properly, nor enjoy the true benefits of whatever fame and wealth we may have, if these are not lived in humility.

Again, even in some vain pursuits like beauty and physical strength and wellness, we would be willing to undergo humbling processes and difficult regimen of diets and exercises and some medical procedures.

We need to understand that humility and power should never be separated if we want to keep our human and Christian dignity intact, and if we want to contribute to the common good.

Nowadays, there’s a great need to remind everyone about this truth. More, there is a great need to establish the appropriate culture with the relevant structures and ways that highlight and bring to reality the truth about the necessary marriage between humility and power.

Let’s take the necessary steps.