“Let us follow his ways, then, as he has shown them to us, particularly that of humility, since he became himself that way for us. He showed us the way of humility by his counsels and followed it by suffering for us. The Word was incapable of dying, but in order to be able to die for us he became flesh and dwelt among us. The immortal one took on mortality to die for us and by his death to destroy ours.

“The Lord did this; he gave us this boon. Though he was great, he was humbled. Being humbled, he was put to death. Put to death, he rose again and was exalted. And so he will not leave us among the dead. As in this life he has raised us up in our faith and confession as just men, so he will raise us up in himself in the resurrection of the dead. He gave us humility as a way. If we follow it, we shall give thanks to the Lord and sing with good reason: ‘We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks and call on your name.’”

– St. Augustine, Sermon 23A