Achieving Humility

Εἰ γὰρ Παῦλος οὐκ ἐπῃσχύνθη καὶ τέκνον καλέσαι, καὶ σπλάγχνον, καὶ ἀδελφὸν, καὶ ἀγαπητὸν, πῶς ἂν ἡμεῖς ἐπαισχυνθῶμεν; Καὶ τί λέγω, Παῦλος; ὁ Παύλου Δεσπότης οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται τοὺς ἡμετέρους δούλους ἀδελφοὺς αὑτοῦ καλεῖν, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπαισχυνούμεθα; Ὅρα, πῶς ἡμᾶς τιμᾷ· ἀδελφοὺς ἑαυτοῦ καλεῖ τοὺς ἡμετέρους δούλους, καὶ φίλους, καὶ συγκληρονόμους. Ἰδοὺ ποῦ κατέβη. Τί οὖν ποιήσαντες ἡμεῖς, τὸ πᾶν ἠνυκότες ἐσόμεθα; Οὐδὲν ὅλως δυνησόμεθα, ἀλλ' ὅπου δ' ἂν ταπεινοφροσύνης ἔλθωμεν, τὸ πλέον αὐτῆς ὑπολέλειπται. Σκόπει γάρ· Ὅπερ ἂν ποιήσῃς σὺ, περὶ τὸν ὁμόδουλον ποιεῖς, ὁ δὲ σὸυ δεσπότης περὶ τοὺς σοὺς δούλους πεποίηκεν. Ἄκουσον, καὶ φρίξον· Μηδέποτε ἐπαρθῇς ἐπὶ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ. Τάχα γελᾶτε τὸ λεχθὲν, εἰ ταπεινοφροσύνη ἐπαίρει· ἀλλὰ μὴ θαυμάσητε· ἐπαίρει, ὅταν μὴ γνησία ᾖ. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ὅταν διὰ τὸ ἀποδέξασθαι ἀνθρώπους γένηται, καὶ οὐχὶ Θεὸν, ὅταν πρὸς τὸ ἐπαινεῖσθαι καὶ μεγαλοφρονεῖν· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο διαβολικόν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ πολλοὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ κενοδοξεῖν κενοδοξοῦσιν· οὕτω καὶ διὰ τὸ ταπεινοῦσθαι ἐπαίρονται διὰ τὸ μέγα φρονεῖν. Εἰ μνημονεύει τῆς παραγγελίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς λεγούσης· Ὅταν πάντα ποιήσητε, λέγετε, ὅτι Ἀχρεῖοι δοῦλοί ἐσμεν· καὶ πάλιν τοῦ Διδασκάλου τῆς οἰκουμένης λέγοντος· Ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὐ λογίζομαι κατειληφέναι. Ὁ πείσας ἑαυτὸν, ὅτι οὐδὲν μέγα κατώρθωσεν, ὅσα ἂν ποιήσῃ, οὗτος μόνος ταπεινοφρονεῖν δύναται, ὁ μὴ πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἥκειν νομίζων. Πολλοὶ ἀπὸ ταπεινοφροσύνης ἐπήρθησαν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ ἡμεῖς τοῦτο πάθωμεν. Ἐποίησάς τι ταπεινόν; μὴ φρονήσῃς μέγα, ἐπεὶ τὸ πᾶν ἀπώλεσας. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Φαρισαῖος· ἐπήρθη, ἐπειδὴ ἐδίδου τοῖς πένησι τὰς δεκάτας, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἀπώλεσεν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ τελώνης οὕτως. Ἄκουε Παύλου πάλιν λέγοντος· Οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπῆρεν αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ παντοίως συνέστελλε καὶ ἐταπείνου, καὶ ταῦτα εἰς τὴν ἄκραν κορυφὴν ἀνεληλυθώς; Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Ὑπομηνα Ἐις Την Προς Φιλημονα Ἐπιστολην, Ὀμιλια Β'

For if Paul was not ashamed to call a slave his son, his heart, his brother, his beloved, surely we ought not to be ashamed. And why do I say Paul? The Master of Paul is not ashamed to call our servants His brethren; and are we ashamed? See how He honors us. He calls our servants His own brethren, and friends, and fellow heirs. See how far he has descended. What, then, having done, shall we have accomplished our whole duty? We are not able to do it, but to whatever point of humility we have come, the greater part of it is left behind. For see that whatever you do, you do to a fellow servant, but your Master has done it to your servants. Hear and shudder! Never be exulted on account of humility! Perhaps you laugh at the expression, as if humility could puff up? But do not wonder, it does puff up when it is not genuine. How and in what way? When it is done to gain the favor of men, and not of God, when it is done for praised and pride, and this is diabolical. As many by not being vainglorious are vainglorious, so by humbling themselves they are elated by thinking highly of themselves. For instance, a brother has come, or even a servant, and you have received him, you have washed his feet, and immediately you think highly of yourself. 'I have done,' you say, 'what no other has done. I have achieved humility!' How then may one continue in humility? If one remembers the command of Christ, which says, 'When you shall have done all things, say, We are unprofitable servants.' 1 And again the teacher of the world, says, 'I count not myself to have apprehended.' 2 He who has persuaded himself that he has done no great thing, however much he may have done, he alone is able to be humble, he who does not think that he has achieved perfection. Many are elated on account of their humility, but let not us be so affected. Have you done something humble? Think not highly of it, otherwise all will be lost. Such was the Pharisee, he was puffed up because he gave his tenth to the poor, and so he lost it all. 3 But not so the publican. Hear Paul again saying, 'I know nothing by myself, but I am not by that justified.' 4 Do you see that he does not exalt himself, but by every means abases and humbles himself, and that when he had arrived at the very summit? Saint John Chrysostom, Second Homily on Philemon 1 Lk 17:10 2 Philip 3:13   3 Lk 18:12  4 1 Cor 4:4