humble

In the Letter to the Philippians 4:12 (NABRE), Paul writes about living in “humble circumstances.” Humility has been described as among the most important Christian virtues, and it is indeed worth cultivating.

In this passage from the Letter to the Philippians, the word translated as “humble circumstances” is the verb ταπεινόω (tapeinoo), which means “to make or to bring low” and comes from a word literally meaning base or low to the ground. Likewise, the Latin root for our word humility, humus, literally means “earth” or “soil.”

In the ancient world, God was thought to be heavenly or of the sky. The word lofty has such connotations. Consider what it means to cultivate an attitude that is the opposite of this in our relationship with God.

What do you think humility looks like?

related topics: humility; Letter to the Philippians

you also may like our study of Saul, David & Solomon
The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provides an in-depth look at the First and Second Books of Samuel to learn how the lives of the monarchs Saul, David, and Solomon point ahead to the kingdom of heaven. The unified reign of King David is seen as a foreshadowing or type of the unity that is one of the four marks of the Church—the kingdom of God—established by Jesus Christ. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

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