July 31, 2013 8:30am

Saint Ignatius offers us a great deal of spiritual wisdom.

One of his insights deals with the virtue of humility.

Maybe we can also say that it is an insight into the way of humanity.

Ignatius’ insight is best stated very briefly:

Riches to honors to pride.

Riches lead to honors and honors lead to pride.

For example:

A good job (riches) can lead to being held in high regard by others (honors) and this high regard can lead me to getting caught up in all I have accomplished (pride).

Another example:

A title like Monsignor (riches) can lead to being given special regard by others (honors) and this special regard can lead me to feel that I am actually entitled to all of this (pride).

Ignatius’ insight unmasks a human dynamic or tendency that we so easily fall into.

He exhorts us to counteract this tendency by very intentionally pursuing the way of the Lord.

Today’s gospel exalts the person who sells all that he has so that he’ll enough money to buy a field where a treasure is hidden, or a person who sells all that she has so that she will have enough money to buy one really perfect pearl.

So Jesus and Ignatius call us to pursue God with that kind of singularity of mindset.

If we do that, then says Ignatius, we give ourselves over to humility.

We see ourselves not as rich, but as poor in our need for God.

We know the recognition or regard given us really belongs to God who gave us all that we have.

And the result is that we hold ourselves as one with others, not above or beyond them, but as one with other human beings.

This is humility.

It is the way of Jesus.

It keeps in check that human tendency of riches to honors to pride.