Memesplanation Short 43

Rough word today, from St. Maximus the Confessor. Maximus was a Byzantine monk from the 6th and 7th centuries. I expected that he was a desert father with the very ascetic flavor to this quote, but I was wrong, at any rate, back to the quote: humility cuts out the spiritual passions (pride and associated sins), and suffering cuts out the bodily passions. Why are these important? According to the ascetic tradition, it is a great benefit to humans to not indulge the desires of the body, as they believe that indulgence is in itself sinful, as in many cases, the body is held to be evil and must be disciplined to allow one to grow more spiritually. Humility does serve as an antidote of sorts to pride and its attendant sins of self-centeredness, sloth, lust, greed, and the like, which are also kept in check through asceticism. How can we apply this in our lives? If we want to truly be counter-cultural, choosing to go low and to adopt some ascetic disciplines, such as fasting, would go a long way toward that end.