On humility...

On Humility was the title of the passage I read today from "Dorotheos of Gaza: Discourses and Sayings". Dorotheos uses many examples of both pride and humility to show humility as a virtue worth striving towards. It should be noted that when one reads a book like this one assumes that the audience for the book is one interested in pursuing Christianity. I would not expect that someone who cares nothing for the Christian way of life to find Dorotheos's teachings on humility to be useful. Anyway, Dorotheos talks about different types of pride. One can be proud of their status in society, their wealth and material possessions, their ability to eschew wealth and possessions and also any other ability that a person can possess or exercise. The danger in this is a tendency to exalt oneself over others. When one becomes proud they change their view of the world, they reorder it. Dorotheos speaks of a man who being a Christian began to espouse a certain view and because of that view he began to question the worthiness of Christians in authority above him. After having dismissed the authority of those above him he dismissed the usefulness of many saints who were revered at that time. Having dismissed the saints he also questioned the teachings of Peter and Paul and other Apostles. And then after discarding the teachings of the Apostles he abandoned his faith in God. I don't believe this passage says we should blindly accept what we are taught and blindly follow those teachings, but rather we should not be so proud as to believe we can just discard what is taught because we know better.

I have fallen into the same morass as Dorotheos describes many times. I let my pride sometimes lead me into believing things, not because they are right, but because I think they are right. I am reminded of Socrates a lot as I try to become a better Christian. He was both proud and humble. He enjoyed argument and debate, he loved to catch someone in a web of words, but he was quick to temper his enthusiasm for knowledge with the fact that he only knew one thing -- that he knew nothing. I know nothing, despite my desire to know everything I can -- I know nothing. When this is applied to my spiritual life I have to concede to God that all that I have is His. My life, my breath, my words are just borrowed.