How St. Benedict's Second and Third Degrees of Humility Will Build Stability in Our Workplace
Our Stability Project continues with St. Benedict's "Degrees of Humility" as laid out in his Rule. Last time we saw that the first degree of humility is fear of God. Part of our discussion led us to being on guard against self-will. Indeed, St. Benedict considers our effort to control self-will fundamentally connected to the development of the virtue of humility. So he calls it the second degree of humility. Here's how he describes this second degree:
"The second degree of humility is that a man love not his own will, nor delight in fulfilling his own desires, but carry out in deed the saying of the Lord: 'I came not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.' It is written also: Self-will hath its punishment, but necessity winneth a crown."
Note especially that Our Lord Himself told us: "I came not to do my own will." It's remarkable, isn't it? Jesus Christ, Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, incorporates both divinity and humanity. His humanity is perfect in every way. In that perfect state of humanity, He does not assert His own Will. Jesus, as a man, seeks to follow His Father's Will, God's Will. In this He gives us the supreme example we need to help us strike down our own will by seeking to do God's Will.
The full impact of Our Lord's words here rely on our understanding that the entire life of Jesus Christ while He dwelt amongst us serves as our best and perfect example of how we ourselves should live. And it would seem that the desire to do God's Will alone will be the one and only way for us to totally renounce our own will.
We see how St. Benedict swiftly moves from negative to the positive. First, he tells us not to love our will. Then he immediately provides the example given by Our Lord so that we will know not only what we must not do, but also what we must do instead. It's all short and sweet, but substantial, taking this bit of advice from tasty appetizer to a full and nutritious meal.
The most direct way to apply this advice in the workplace is to always attend to our duties, whatever they might be in our particular circumstances. In my small business, I have an obligation to provide the best advice possible to my clients in a timely manner. Among other things, this entails constant reading and research to enhance my professional knowledge and skills. It requires me to know the best resources to access when I can't find or implement appropriate solutions for a particular issue, concern, or problem.
Self-will could easily hamper my efforts here. But strict attention to my daily duties helps fend off any inclination to do what I might want in favor what my clients or customers want and need.
The discipline of diligently performing my work each day, helps to quell the parade of emotions that unharnessed self-will unleashes. Concentrating on myself and what I might want at any given time undermines the calm and peace necessary to foster stability in my workplace. Taking me out of the picture reinforces that stability. On any given day I could be tired or full or energy, sad or elated, laser-sharp or unfocused, etc. Our bodies and our emotions aren't always perfectly under the whip of self-discipline. So rather than thinking about how we happen to feel, we instead develop the habit of organizing our work and sticking to the task at hand that needs doing at that moment. Who cares how we feel?
If our sincere desire is to do God's Will rather than our own, then He will provide the grace we need to overcome self-absorption of any variety in any degree. Freed from self, both the quality of our work and the state of our soul will get an extra boost. Freed from the instability bred by self and its whims, our work and our interior life can progress in an atmosphere of calmness and peace.
We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee,
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