Rev. Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo - Humility of Heart

First published circa 1905. Published by TAN Books in 1978 by photographic reproduction from a 1944 reprint edition of Newman Bookshop, Westminster, Maryland. Retypeset, with minor copy editing, and republished by TAN Books in 2006.

The text of this book has numbered sections from Unnumbered 1 at the beginning of through Number 153, the last section of the book. Some section numbers are missing. These are also missing from the text reprinted by Newman Bookshop in 1944, from which TAN Books reset this edition. These missing section numbers could represent typographical errors in the original English edition dating from about 1905, which interior evidence would indicate Newman Bookshop reproduced photographically. Or, they could represent sections of the original Italian edition purposely omitted by Cardinal Vaughan in his translation, or even by whoever had his translation originally typeset and published after his death. A search has been initiated by TAN Books for a complete Italian edition of Humility of Heart to solve this question.

ISBN 978-0-89555-766-7

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

TAN Books

Charlotte, North Carolina

www.TANBooks.com

2011

To

The priests ordained by me

For the Diocese of Salford

And the Archdiocese of Westminster

And for the

foreign missions.

Also to

The Ladies of Charity

Established by me in

Salford and Westminster,

In the conviction that

Their works of charity, if planted in

The garden of humility,

Will bear a fuller and

Richer harvest than if sown in

Any other soil.

Herbert Cardinal Vaughan

Archbishop of Westminster

April 23, 1903

Publishers Preface

H UMILITY OF HEART is one of the few books on the virtue of humility, and it is probably the best! As the author points out in several places, humility is typical of all Saints; it is the underlying virtue of all virtues; and as the author shows, the easiest way to acquire all other virtues is to concentrate first on acquiring humility.

What exactly is humility? It is definitely not a grovelling self-deprecation or even low self-esteem. Rather, it is an accurate view of oneself and where one stands in relation to all others, but especially where one stands in relationship to God and how difficult it is for a person consistently to perform supernaturally good acts purely from a motive of love of God.

Humility, as the author points out, is diametrically opposed to the Capital Sin of Pride and wars against that powerful inclination within fallen man. Before we can commit any sin, we have to commit the sin of Pride, for as Scripture says, Pride goeth before the destruction, and the spirit is lifted up before a fall. ( Proverbs 16:18). Also, before every sin we commit, we have to lie to ourselves that it is not a sin, or at least that our sin is not so bad as we may think. Thus, lying blots out humility because it purposely obscures the truth and is directly opposed to the virtue of humility, which sees the exact truth of things.

Now Pride can take on many and very subtle forms, deceiving even the most intelligent of spiritual aspirants. It is the one Capital Sin that even the highly principled and noble-minded can fall into. Often, as Father da Bergamo points out, it is the one sin that ensnares the intelligent, educated, highly moral person, even him who is dedicated to Gods work. Whereas such highly disciplined and enlightened people would perhaps never descend to Gluttony, Lust, Covetousness, Avarice, etc., they nonetheless will often succumb to some subtle form of Pride.

The author repeatedly says here that if one thinks he is humble, he is not! This is a very discouraging thought! And the reader should be prepared not to become discouraged by what he or she will encounter in this seemingly simple little book. For Humility of Heart tackles the greatest spiritual enemy man has, his own pride, which per Sacred Scripture itself, ( Proverbs 16:18)along with lyingprecedes every sin. Now we know that everyone commits some sins. As the Bible says, For a just man shall fall seven times and shall rise again. ( Proverbs 24:16). Therefore, everyone is proudto some extent at least. The logic is inescapable. And therefore, Humility of Heart is addressing mankinds biggest problem: pride-filled lying, which precedes every sin that all human beings engage inat least to some slight degreedespite what might be their great education, learning, accomplishments, status, honor, esteem, rank, adulation, etc.

Thus, acquiring true humility and also properly assessing the enormity of the job one shoulders in honestly pursuing humility is nothing short of the toughest assignment one will ever undertake. But we must undertake it, for Our Lord has admonished us: Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart. ( Matthew 11:29). The neophyte to serious spirituality, therefore, should be on his guard against discouragement at the prospect of attaining this essential virtue. It will entail a spiritual sort of hand-to-hand combat that will continue all ones life and battle him right to the end. For it is a struggle against the most profound, inherent flaw in human naturePride.

Once overcome, however, all the other virtues follow in its train rather easily. The beginner in the spiritual life simply has to be aware of the strength of this powerful adversary he is challenging in attempting to acquire humilityit is his very own corrupt, often miserable self, his own nature at its deepest, most selfish level, inherited through Original Sin from our first parents, Adam and Eve!

Attaining humility, therefore, is the great battle in life, the one that will lead (through success) to sanctity and salvation, but (through defeat) to sin and perdition. It is a light, little book you hold, Dear Reader, but one outlining the greatest fight you will ever enterthe battle to overcome your own prideful self, as you war against the world, the flesh and the devil. But the stakes are high, and the results eternal, one way or the other.

Cardinal Vaughans brother indicates that the Cardinal carried an Italian copy of this book with him, to read from again and again. It would behoove us all to read it at least several timesperiodicallyto impress its truths firmly upon our minds.

In passing, one cannot help admiring the Cardinals intrepidity in translating this essential book during the last days of his life, when he must have known he was dying. He could have easily and without criticism simply engaged his final days in a long retreat and self-examination before meeting Our Lord, but besides doing something like that, he also labored to bequeath this spiritual gem to the English-speaking world and thus ultimately to make it available everywhere. May God reward him for doing so and may you the reader be rewarded for taking up its challenge.

Thomas A Nelson

Original Publisher

February 7, 2006

St. RomualdAbbot

St. Richard of LuccaKing

Original Preface

T HESE Thoughts and Sentiments on Humility were written by Cardinal Vaughan during the last months of his life. Being ordered out of London by his medical advisers, the Cardinal went to Derwent, where, as the guest of Lord and Lady Edmund Talbot, he found that perfect freedom and multitude of peace of which he had long felt the need.

It was while reposing his soul in quiet prayer and feasting his sight on the fine scenery of this ideal spot among the moorlands of Derbyshire, that the thought came to him of translating, while yet there was time, Father Cajetans treatise on humility.