Heroism, self-denial, and even martyrdom are worthless without humility and patience. This book shows you how to develop these two key virtues, no matter how difficult your circumstances may be. You'll learn why Jesus said that to save your life, you must first lose it, and you'll come to see how the self-surrender in humility and patience is guaranteed to bring you lasting peace and happiness. From this simple book you'll learn many
William Bernard Ullathorne, OSB, born in Yorkshire, England, in 1806, was a descendant of St. Thomas More and of other Catholics who stayed true to their Faith during a time when many were falling away owing to Protestant persecution. This heritage was to reveal itself later in life, when Ullathorne worked unceasingly for the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England. Becoming enamored of the sea at a young age, Ullathorne worked as a cabin boy for most of his youth, but he was eventually led in 1823 to enter the Benedictine order at Downside, where he was ordained a priest seven years later. From that time on, he led the life Of an active and zealous missionary, both in Australia and, later, closer to home in Coventry, until he was named Vicar Apostolic Of the western half Of England in 1846, Bishop of Birmingham in 1850, and, finally, Titular Archbishop of Cabasa. Although he is known for his aggressive apostolic zeal, Archbishop Ullathorne is perhaps best remembered for his famous — and all-encompassing — spiritual treatise The Groundwork of the Christian Virtues. He writes in an engaging and practical yet earnest manner that conveys to the reader the importance of the virtues -- particularly humility -- and the daily struggles and opportunities that are involved in achieving holiness.
I have long thought that a lack of humility is the basis of most wrong-doing. In my quest to be more humble, I decided to read this book.
From the Author's Biography
William Bernard Ullathorne, born in Yorkshire, England, in 1806, was a descendant of St. Thomas More and of other Catholics who stayed true to their Faith during a time when many were falling away owing to Protestant persecution.
He writes in an engaging and practical yet earnest manner that conveys to the reader the importance of the virtues — particularly humility — and the daily struggles and opportunities that are involved in achieving holiness.
I got a lot out of this book. I might not have conquered pride and impatience completely, but at least now I recognize when they are happening!!
I've read this little gem before; I need to read it at least every six months--maybe oftener. The two virtues essential for all Christians and the two which I am weakest in.
Wish Good Reads had the cover picture. Written by a descendant of St. Thomas More. Includes ten rules for patience and twelve grounds for humility.
I had very high hopes for this book. As patience and humility are two key virtues for the seekers of inner peace and the good life. I was hoping for a much deeper analysis of these two concepts. And a much more detailed (how to) to achieve these virtues. Regrettably what was written was typical known to all information No aha moments...no paradigm shifts on the topic.
Overall, Patience and Humility was a difficult read for me. Each chapter is merely a few pages each and has no real flow to them. As I prefer a strong through-line in writing, this book never gets to a point where there is momentum to your reading. Because of this, it was challenging to read more than a few chapters at a time, causing the reading pace to crawl to a snail's speed. The book is also split fairly evenly into two halves addressing each virtue in its respective section of the book. I would have liked to see them addressed alongside one another as opposed to completely separate entities.
The substance of the book itself mainly consists of wisdom literature. The problem with this is that you're reading the same style of writing page after page, causing you to lose interest quickly. There is some good wisdom to be found, but it's hard to fish it out among a lot of the seemingly insignificant fluff. I believe the book would have served better as a devotional book, with each entry tied with scripture, rather than it its current format.
Favorite Passage:
"Patience is the medicine of our enfeebled nature; it fortifies the will, soothes the irritabilities that derange the soul, braces the powers into unity, and gives stability to all the virtues. As the tree obtains its strength from being rooted in the ground, the soul, which is the tree of virtue, obtains its strength from patiently adhering to God."
"Patience and Humility" is a nice, short book about two of the most important virtues of Catholicism. Each chapter is short, so you could read a chapter a day, which is what I did. Every chapter, however short, is like food---it leaves you satisfied for the day. Along with patience and humility, the book tells about love, which is very high on the list of virtues, as Our Lord commanded us to not only to love God but also to love our neighbor as ourselves. I highly recommend this book!
Since I have not mastered either patience or humility, I decided to take a crack at it. Interesting read and tedious in part, because of when it was written and subject matter. Very interesting and enlightening on these virtues.....would read more from the publishing institute.
Excellent meditation for quiet introspection during my busy life. Early morning when the time is conducive to contemplation, this little book gives me a calmness in which I can still my mind and lift my spirit. I need to re-read the book often.
Excellent little book from a 19th century English bishop. Great for reflection and meditation, its short passages are best appreciated when taken one day at a time.