Whoso thinkest himself to be in his life a perfect lover and follower of Christ’s teaching (as some men perhaps esteem themselves to be, because they preach and teach, and are poor in worldly goods, as Christ was) and cannot follow Christ in this love and charity, to love their neighbours, even every man, both good and bad, friend and foe, without feigning or flattery, or despising him in his heart, without angriness or malicious reproving, soothly he beguileth himself. The nearer he thinketh himself to be to Christ’s example, the further is he off; for Christ said to them that would be His disciples, thus: This is My bidding, that you should love one another as I have loved you. For if ye love as I have loved, then are ye My disciples. (John Climacus)

I will not at once love my neighbors as Jesus has taught.

Climacus has argued that humility is the essential precondition for such love, authentic humility will not be cultivated in one day.

But I can begin and endeavor to persist. One aspect of humility is attention: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling what is real.

Today I can attend carefully to reality - both inner and outer reality - and engage this reality as honestly and openly as I can.

In this attention I may better apprehend the grace of God on which achieving both humility and love will finally depend.