A Humble Child

Εἰ μὴ ἐταπεινοφρόνουν, ἀλλὰ ὕψωσα τὴν καρδίαν μου, ὡς τὸ ἀπογεγαλακτισμένον ἐπὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἀνταποδώσεις ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν μου. Ἄλλος, Οὕτος ἀνταποδοθείη τῃ ψυχῇ μου. Καθ' ὑπερβατόν, ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον, οἶον, Εἰ μὴ ἐταπεινοφρόνουν, ὡς τὸ ἀπογεγαλακτισμένον ἐπὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ὕψωσα τὴν καρδίαν μου, οὕτως ἀνταποδοθείη τῇ ψυχῇ. Ὅ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτον ἐστιν· οὐ μόνον τῆς κακίας καθαρὸς ἥμην, τῆς ἀλαζονείας λέγω, οὐδὲ μόνον τῶν ἐχόντων αὑτὴν ἀλλότριος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν τὴν ἐναντίαν αὐτῇ μετὰ πολλῆς ἐδεξάμην τῆς ὑπερβολῆς, τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην, τὸ μετριάζειν, τὸ συντετρίφθαι. Τοῦτο ἐκεῖνο ὅ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκέλευσε λέγων· Ἐαν μὴ στραφητε, καὶ γένησθε ὡς τὰ παιδία, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Τοιαύτην, φησὶν, ἑκτησαμην ταπεινοφροσύνην, ὡς τὸ  ὑπομάζιον παιδίον. Ὥσωπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνο ἔχεται τῆς μητρὸς, τεταπείνωται, ἀλαζονείας ἀπάσης ἐστὶ καθαρὸν, ἀφελείᾳ συζῇ καὶ ἁπλότητι· οὕτω καὶ ἐγὼ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἥμην, ἐχόμενος αὐτοῦ διηνεκῶς. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Τον ΡΛ' Ψαλμον Source: Migne PG 55.378

'If I have not been humble in my thoughts, but lifted up my heart, like a weaned child over his mother, return it to my soul.' 1 Or otherwise: 'may it be returned to my soul.' And this is said using the trope of hyperbaton and so one may rearrange it: 'If I have not thought humbly like a weaned child over its mother but I have lifted up my heart, thus may it be returned to my soul.' What he says is this: Not only was I unstained by vice, I speak of vaunting, not only was I foreign to it as a possession, but truly its opposing virtue I took up over it, that is, humility, moderation, contrition. And this Christ commands his disciples, saying, 'Unless you turn and become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.' 2 With such humility, he says, as an infant at the breast of his mother. For the humble one is like a child clinging to his mother, free from all pride, living in consummate innocence and simplicity, thus I was to God, clinging to him continually. Saint John Chrysostom, Exposition of the Psalms, from Psalm 130 1 Ps 130.2-3 2 Mt 18.3