The spiritual battle takes place within. The battle is one of returning to God, of turning back to the One whom we have abandoned through our sin. Thus, the battle takes the form of purifying the heart of vice and developing virtue. The combat occurs on several fronts:
Gluttony, Lust, Greed, Anger, Sadness, Sloth, Vainglory, and Pride. Pride, the most insidious of these vices, in some sense encompasses all of the rest. Consequently, the whole conversion process hinges upon conquering Pride. The antidote is Humility.
Humility means much more than just meekness. And Humility is not to be mistaken as cowardice. No, Humility is a virtue. To be humble is to see the relationship between oneself and God clearly. When the perspective is focused, it becomes clear that I am little and God is infinitely great. God is to be adored. He is to be reverenced both in Himself and in the neighbor. The humble monk is able to love God perfectly.
This view of Humility is multi-faceted. It is like an entire arsenal to vanquish each vice, making room for every virtue. Here are some of the manifestations of Humility.
- To reverence God
- To do God's will
- To obey the Abbot
- To be obedient even in hardship
- To confess one's sins
- To be content with one's lot
- To see all the ways in which one is less than one's brother
- To obey the Rule
- To listen more than to speak
- Not to laugh at others
- To speak little
- To project a humble heart through the body
To do these things is to act with prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude. With these cardinal virtues in place, the monk enjoys the freedom to obey God.
Lest Humility sound like an artificial construct, let's remember Christ's Passion. In that great human drama Christ lived and breathed Humility.
Though he was in the form of God, [he] did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. [Philippians 2:6-8]