“The fourth step of humility is that in this obedience under difficult, unfavorable, or even unjust conditions, his heart quietly embrace suffering and endures it without weakening or seeking escape.” To which St. And so we must be vigilant every hour as if our guardian angel came down to have us report to God how we have spent our day and night every single day of our lives. All of our desires, our thoughts, our willful actions must be on guard and willing to lovingly offer up our entire selves up to God for Him to lead us and guide us to keep His commandments. Hence in order to hold ourselves true to God we must have the humility to withhold our own will in every act, but instead look to God Who’s will we pray in the Our Father to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. To offend Him ought to offend us, and so we must keep sure to guard our vices of thought or hold our tongue. Though we must just as well say that the fear of God is that reverence we are to have of offending God who is the very principle of life and existence for all things. Bearing before our minds the notion that those who despise God in their sinfulness will burn in Hell on account of their lack of love and on their turning away from Him is how man is to understand and fear God’s judgment.
Benedict writes, “ The first step of humility, then, is that a man keeps the fear of God always before his eyes (Psalm 36:2) and to never forget what God has commanded of us.