Marriage and Virginity (continued)
front of them and said, Unless you become like this child, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 18:3)? Was he not giving the highest praise to humility and recognizing it as the way to earn greatness?
When too the sons of Zebedee wanted to be at his side on the throne on high, he answered that instead of proudly and ambitiously asking to be given preference over others, they should think rather of drinking from the cup of his suffering,†34 in which he humbled himself to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Phil 2:8). What else was he showing us except that he would be the distributor of high positions for those who first followed him as the teacher of humility? Then, when he was about to go to his passion, he washed his disciples' feet, and expressly instructed them that what their Lord and Master had done for them they should do for others who like them were disciples and slaves.†35 What great commendation he thus gave to humility! He even chose that particular time to commend it, when he was about to go to his death and they were attending to him most earnestly, certain to remember especially this last example the Master gave of the way to imitate him. He did this at that time, although he could certainly have done it when he discussed things with them on other days previously. But if he had done it then, the same message indeed would have been conveyed, but it surely would not have been accepted in the same way.
Humility Is Especially Necessary for Celibates
33, 33. On the one hand, therefore, all Christians have to practice humility. Indeed they even get the name of Christian from Christ; and no one can examine his Gospel attentively without discovering that he is the teacher of humility. On the other hand, it is proper that those who stand out from the rest because of some great gift should be especially concerned to develop and preserve this virtue, and so they will pay great attention to what I said at first: The greater you are, the more humble you must always be, and then you will find favor with God (Sir
3:18). So, since perpetual chastity, and especially virginity, is a great gift for God's saints, great vigilance is needed to save it from being corrupted by pride.
34. The apostle Paul remarks on malicious spinsters who are inquisitive and gossipers, saying that this vice comes from being idle. At the same time, he says, being idle they learn how to go about from house to house; and not only are they idle, but inquisitive and gossipers as well,