Humility and Pride in Speaking

Et quia omnes qui in Deo vivimus organa veritatis sumus, ut saepe per alium mihi, saepe vero aliis loquatur per me; sic nobis boni verbi inesse auctoritas debet, ut et is qui praeest dicat recta libere, et is qui subest inferre bona humiliter non recuset. Bonum enim quod majori a minore dicitur tunc vere bonum est, si humiliter dicatur. Nam si rectitudo sentiendi humilitatem loquendi perdiderit, radicem sensus in ramo linguae vitiavit. Quod videlicet vitium jam non ex ramo, sed ex radice est, quia nisi cor intumesceret, lingua minime superbiret. Inesse ergo ad loquendum priori humilis auctoritas, inesse autem minori libera humilitas debet. Sed saepe in hominibus ipse loquendi ordo confunditur, sicut et longe superius diximus. Nam aliquando quis per tumorem elationis loquitur, et loqui se per auctoritatem libertatis existimat; et aliquando alius per stultum timorem tacet, et tacere se per humilitatem putat. Ille locum sui regiminis attendens, non metitur sensum tumoris; iste, locum suae subjectionis considerans, timet dicere bona quae sentit, et ignorat quantum charitati reus efficitur tacendo. Sic vero sub auctoritate superbia, et humanus timor sub humilitate se palliat, ut saepe nec ille valeat considerare quid Deo, nec iste quid debeat proximo. Nam ille dum eos qui sibi subjecti sunt conspicit, et ei cui omnes subjacent non intendit, in elatione attollitur, et de elatione sua velut de auctoritate gloriatur. Iste vero nonnunquam dum timet ne majoris gratiam amittat, atque per hoc aliquid temporalis damni sustineat, recta quae intelligit occultat, atque apud se tacitus ipsum timorem quo constringitur humilitatem nominat. Sed eum cui nil vult dicere, tacendo in cogitatione dijudicat; fitque ut unde se humilem existimat, inde gravius sit superbus. Discernenda ergo semper sunt libertas et superbia, humilitas et timor, ne aut timor humilitatem, aut superbia se libertatem fingat. Ezechiel itaque quia non solum populo, sed etiam senioribus loqui mittebatur, ne incautum timorem humilitatem crederet, ut timere non debeat admonetur, dum dicitur: Ne timeas eos. Ac ne forte derogationis eorum verba pertimescat, adjungitur: Neque sermones eorum metuas. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia IX Source: Migne PL 76.875a-b

And because all us who live in God are instruments of truth, as often truth may be spoken by another to me, so often by me to others, so the authority of good words should inhere in us, so that even as he who is preeminent should freely speak what is right, so a man is not excused from expressing good things on account of humility. For as it is good that the greater are spoken to by the less, so then truly good it is if it is humbly spoken. For if rectitude has denied speech by a feeling of humility, so the root of this feeling has corrupted the branch of the tongue. Certainly the fault is not in the branch but in the root, because unless the heart swells, the tongue can hardly be proud. It is for us then to speak with the authority of prior humilty, and yet to be free of the humility of inferiors. But often among men this order of speaking is confused, as we have spoken of at length before. For sometimes someone through a swelling of elation speaks, and he is judged to have spoken for reason of liberty; and sometimes by foolish fear a man is silent, and he thinks himself silent on account of his humility. Attend to the state of each, one does not fear because of his swelling, and the other considers himself so abject that he fears to say the good he knows, and he is ignorant of how much his silence makes him guilty in respect of charity. So truly humility fades away both beneath the authority of pride and human fear, so that a man is not able to consider what he owes to God or to his neighbour. For the one while he looks upon those those who are subject to him, does not care to attend to any one of them, and in elation he is carried away, and he glories in his elation as authority. The other while he is in fear, will never risk losing the favour of the greater man, and that he might not suffer some temporal loss, he conceals what he understands as right, and he names the fear which constrains him humility. But being silent, yet in his mind he judges him to whom who wishes to say nothing, and so what he claims to be humility is most weighty pride. Let us always discern, then, between freedom and pride, humility and fear, lest either fear be twisted to humility or pride to candour. So Ezekiel was sent to speak not only to the people, but even to the elders, and lest he think hesitant fear to be humility, and that he not fear to admonish,it was said, 'Do not fear them.' And lest perhaps he be afraid of their derogatory words, it is added: 'Nor fear their words.' 1 Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 9 1 Ezek 2.6