The reason is that he represents to me qualities which I dislike: humility, littleness, and hiddenness. I don’t have to remind you how contrary those virtues are to the lifestyle promoted by society today. And I have had difficulty with that kind of description of my life.

Yet my heart tells me that it is in these qualities that true Christianity lies. For the recognition of one’s dependence on God is at the heart of religion. Without that dependence on God, we are on one big ego trip.

It is those who lean on God who enter heaven. Therefore, for me, humility, littleness, and hiddenness must become a part of who I am.

God raises up the lowly as Our Lady said in the Magnificat (Lk 1:52). So if I choose to be humble, hidden, and little for the sake of God, I can trust that he will raise me up, if not in this life, then in the next.

And I have the example of the fulfillment of God’s promise in St. Joseph. His hiddenness was certainly made known, and his littleness exalted.