Humility need not be a scary word. Yet, for many men, humility is scary. Perhaps it is scary because it is associated with being humiliated. Being humiliated is scary because of some level of identity crisis (i.e. not being firmly grounded in one’s identity as a son of God), out of which pride arises as a means of self-preservation and protection. So, humility is scary because it brings one face-to-face with one’s true condition: one does not really self-preserve and self-protect; rather, one is preserved and protected through the salvation offered by the Son, Jesus Christ. Without humility, one struggles to reach even the starting line of Christianity. Humility, then, could be (has been) called the foundational virtue onto which all other virtues are scaffolded.
To one with an agricultural interest, “humility” looks a whole lot like “humus”. Upon further consideration, the similarity goes beyond etymology. There are two primary attributes of humus that shed light on humility: first, humus comes from dead stuff; second, humus — while a small fraction of overall soil matter — is arguably the most important part of healthy soil.
That bit about “humility need not be scary” is still true, but it does require death. Just don’t be afraid of death. Humus is produced through the decay of plant matter (e.g. roots, leaves, branches, etc) and animal matter (e.g. hair, skin, bones, etc). Every small (and large) act of humility is a little (or big) death of one’s pride, which, recall, is rooted in some identity other than “I am a son of God”. The decay of plant and animal matter can take a long time, even years. So too with humility — it often takes years to give rise to true humility. One last thing on humus: the decaying process requires the action of many types of organisms, all doing slightly different types of decay work. One might say the same thing about humility: the death of one’s pride requires many kinds of acts of humility, all killing pride in slightly different ways.
Now, what of the benefits of humus (and humility)? The reasons for the importance of humus (and humility) are too many for full consideration in this article, but there are some earthly benefits of humus that point to spiritual realities of humility. First, the process of humus formation provides nutrition to soil organisms which in turn produce nutrition for plant life. Even before humus reaches a somewhat stable state, it helps other things thrive. Similarly, every act of humility is fuel for the divine fire in one’s soul, even when that fire is just barely smoldering. Next, humus provides chemical and physical structure to soil, whatever the base soil type. Without humus, clay soils are compacted and sandy soils are loose. In one, nutrients are locked away; in the other, nutrients are washed away. One might say that humility improves the “base” personality of a person, wherever he falls on a personality spectrum. The improvement described here is the increased capacity for other virtues to take root. Finally, humus increases the water holding ability of soil. The corresponding spiritual reality: humility increases the absorption and retention of grace poured upon the soul.
Consider the parable of the sower. It is easy to grasp the relative value of seed falling on “good soil” compared to falling on a path, rocky ground, or amidst thorns. Neither the parable nor Our Lord’s explanation of the parable describes the specific qualities of the good soil. The seed sown on good soil is “he who hears the word and understands it”, says Jesus (Matthew 13:23, RSVCE). What, though, is the disposition of he who hears and understands? If humus is the stuff that helps make good soil, humility is the “stuff” that helps make a good soul — a soul that can hear and understand and bear fruit.