JESUS spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens [hard to carry] and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

"Whoever humbles himself will be exalted." In former times, monks and nuns were taught what were then called "exercises of humility" as ways of gradually growing in humility. These exercises consisted in kissing the floor, kissing another’s shoes, reading one’s faults before the assembled community, and so forth. Such exercises have been dropped, fortunately, because they seemed too artificial and, besides, rarely brought about an increase in humility. Today, a lot of religious and committed Christians desire with all their hearts to become humble, but do not know how to go about it. This is a complex topic and there is a whole array of means at our disposal that can help us become humble. And so, it is not possible to explore this area of Christian life in a few short paragraphs. However, we can make a beginning by examining one of those many means and see how we could use it ourselves. This means is very simple. It is the art of conversation-or, more precisely, the art of conversing humbly. Which consists, for the most part, of the art of listening well. For, when we really listen to someone, we place our precious little ego in brackets for a while, we starve it of our attention, and that is excellent for the growth of humility.

An important by-product of good listening, apart from an increase in humility, is an increase in charity, as author Stephen R. Covey tells us, since good listening enables us to understand others in depth:

"The more deeply you understand other people," he writes, "the more you will appreciate them, the more reverent you will feel about them. To touch the soul of another human being is to walk on holy ground" (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Restoring the Character Ethic, p. 258).

SOURCE: "365 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.