For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

It was in a spirit of joy...half-clothed...singing [his] praises to the Lord in French in a certain forest [when] thieves suddenly attacked him. They savagely demanded to know who he was. Francis answered confidently and forcefully, "Præco sum magni regis (I am the herald of the Great King). What is this to you?" They beat him and threw him in a ditch filled with snow saying, "Lie there you stupid herald of God." After they left he rolled about to and fro, shook the snow off and jumped out of the ditch. Exhilarated, he began in a loud voice to make the woods resound with the praises of the Creator.

Humility is a person's measure of lowliness, modesty and meekness. It is acquired over a lifetime by gradually submitting in obedience to the Creator. Like Francis of Assisi, a humble man bows down low in the soil in recognition of his status as a creature of the Most High yet rises above the clouds in profound gratitude for being made in the image and likeness of God.

No matter what degree of comfort and genuine joy a person experiences or the hardships or problems s/he faces in life, the humble person never forgets his responsibility to live as a herald like Francis of Assisi, who appreciated this role and lived unabashedly as a servant of God. Adversity deepens and enhances humility while humility welcomes those experiences which brings home the lesson that trials purify the soul just as fire purifies precious metals. Just consider the incident of Francis meeting the two robbers.

The humility of Francis compelled him to rise up from the ditch, happy to have experienced perfect joy and "make the woods resound with his praises to the Creator." His humility would not permit him to keep count of the times he was humiliated but rather incite him to even more acts of love and faith.

Humility is a virtue, a mindset, an overall way of life that prompts us to sing out in praise and thanksgiving for all God has done for us, to proclaim God's Spirit among us, to bear witness to the Lord's love and forgiveness, and to be thankful for life's trials and the privilege of being heralds.

Humility is not directly sought; it is acquired through glad obedience, prayer, and a life of gratitude. It never recognizes itself and the truly humble have no idea how humble they come across to us but we are indebted for their example and lives.