St. Isaac the Syrian knew what he was talking about. For the Orthodox and many other Christians (sadly not all) humility isn’t docileness. It’s an understanding and deep trust that all we have comes from God. We are sinners in need of God’s mercy and direction. Yet because God is love and loves us, we can find peace. We can be nonanxious as others rage. We can rest in Jesus even as we work hard for justice, mercy and truth. We can be patient with those who don’t see the world as we do. We know who we are but also whose we are. This doesn’t mean we don’t struggle with fear at times or never fail or fall, but we find the strength in God’s Spirit to keep trying; to seek to love as God loves us; to keep moving forward knowing we don’t walk alone. Some people will see Christ in us and want the peace we have. Many more might reject us as they do Jesus and his message through word or deed, even as they might call themselves “Christians.” That matters not. Embraced by Christ, we can do no other than cling to Christ and our call nonetheless, even as we fight the interior whisper of demons telling us we aren’t good enough, don’t have the strength, must give up. Yet how can we give up when we have everything in Jesus who has already made us victorious? In that shared victory, we ought not judge or puff ourselves up. We must love the other. We should forgive. We should nurture peace. We do this from a God-given humility, not out of our willfulness. “What is hell as compared with the grace of resurrection?” St. Isaac once asked. Nothing. We can always choose to live in hope by God’s help. And through the power of his Spirit, God will.
© 2025 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.
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