Theological Foundations new file

76 Theological Foundations virtue, too. 67 The virtue of obedience is so important that our Founder goes so far as to say categorically that it is better to die than to disobey. 68 Another virtue that always goes hand in hand with obedience is humility. Once again Father Stanislaus prompts us to learn this virtue from Jesus who is “gentle and lowly in heart” (Mt 11, 29). A disciple of Jesus, too, must be humble, gentle and quiet. He is to shun what is haughty, and bend over to what is low. He should not elevate himself above others because of his knowledge and other talents given to him by God, or because of his gift of piety, multitude of friends, the splendor of honors, high esteem. He is to be always humble of heart, for it is only to God that he owes his virtues and everything that is good in him; it is only his vices that he owes to himself. Following Jesus’ example, he is to humble himself in everything, be scorned, ashamed, choose what is worse, yearn for contempt, because Christ says: “Learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Mt 11, 29). 69 A religious does not have to transform the world as Jesus did, or to create the visible and the invisi- ble, he does not need to perform miracles and raise the dead, but he should desire to be like the Savior — gentle and humble of heart. 70 As Father Stanislaus tries to encourage the reader to imitate the hum- ble Christ, he recalls an episode from the Gospel in which Jesus healed a deaf man in the presence of the disciples and “He charged them to tell no one” (Mk 7, 36). In several other cases, Jesus forbade people to make known what He had done publicly because it would have affirmed a false image of the Messiah in the witnesses of these miracles. But, in addition to such concerns, Jesus wanted to set an example for others, to help them not to brag about the good they had done and thus to avoid many dangers. 71 True humility does not forbid one to reveal God’s gifts when the need arises, hence Jesus could repeat after the psalmist: “I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world” (Mt 13, 35; cf. Ps 78[77], 2). Christ did not want to keep the fullness of His goods secret. He poured them out abundantly, teaching by word and example. He restored health to the sick, life to the dead, He consoled the afflicted, pardoned