Useless servants

So, my daughters and sons, when it seems to you that you have worked a lot in the Lord’s service, repeat the words that he himself taught us: servi inutiles sumus; quod debuimus facere, fecimus (Luke 17:10); we are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty.

Examination of conscience

The conclusion I come to every day in my examination of conscience always is pauper servus et humilis!³³ That is, when I don’t have to say instead, “Lord, Josemaría is not very happy with Josemaría.” But since humility is truth, it also happens that very often I think, as no doubt you also do: “Lord, today I have not thought about myself at all! I have been thinking only about you, and for your sake I have been concerned only about working for others!” Then our contemplative soul exclaims with the Apostle: vivo autem iam non ego: vivit vero in me Christus (Gal 2:20), it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

Abandonment in God

Without humility we can never serve effectively, because we will not feel the need to abandon ourselves trustingly to the action of grace. We will not have the continual impulse to turn to God as our only strength. And so we will not obtain the graces that God has in store for us, for our own sanctification and that of our companions, quoniam excelsus Dominus, et humilia respicit (Ps 138[137]:6), for though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly.

Dearly beloved children, I know you will struggle to be humble. I know that this is how you are going to be wonderfully effective, because you will be docile instruments in God’s hands. And you will carry the salt and light of Christ to the whole world, chiefly through the example of your life. “Let us show forth, then, a new kind of life. Let us make a heaven of this earth, and thus show the Gentiles of what great goods they are deprived. For when they see our good conduct, they will look upon the very face of the kingdom of heaven.”³⁴