Know thyself'

 

Day 27.   Of True Humility.   Blessed are those servants who shall be found as humble among their subjects as if they were among their masters.   Blessed are they who always continue under the rod of correction.   They are “faithful and wise servants” who do not delay to punish themselves for all their offences, interiorly by contrition and exteriorly by confession and by works of satisfaction.

‘Know thyself’   Socrates' guiding rule was, "Know Thyself”1, and another says “Express yourself exactly as your are – and face the consequences”2   In knowing ourselves truly, of all our bumps and bruises, our bad habits, pride avarice – those things that always go before a fall. And we can be so mindful of other’s sayings about these things that we neglect to come to terms with ourselves.   So that we might be of one mind whether in the company of our teachers or our pupils we must offer ourselves to the scrutiny of our brother, the Christ. And so continue to carry our own burdens under Jesus’ easy yolk.   The EFO does not hold with corporal self-chastisement; rather we turn again to Christ for we can mend our ways as often as we break them. Christ will always forgive us and so we need to behave always in the knowledge that we are subjects of the Most High God. To be humble wherever we may be, to know our own worth.   If we know our own worth then we have no reason to boast to our subjects or impress our masters, with false humility.

1Well worth reading 2 For the quote rather than the content of the page.