Don’t lose sight of this principle, that true holiness is based on humility.

COMMENT: There is only one place in the Gospel where Jesus speaks about His own character, and urges us to follow it. In the 11th Chapter of St Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells us:

Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.

Everything about this time of the year speaks of the humility and meekness of Christ. Being born of the unknown and humble virgin Mary. Being born while on a journey, with all of its inconveniences. Not even being born in an inn, but in a stable, surrounded by animals and all of the noises and smells that go with it. One of the most extraordinary moments of history – God being born as a helpless baby – goes unnoticed by the world. Christ is born in humility, He will live in humility and He will die in humility.

Pope Francis speaks very often about humility and meekness as the key to apostolate. May we learn from Jesus how to live with greater humility and simplicity of heart, so that we can be more effective in our apostolate.