On Pride

First Point - Pride, says Saint Augustine, is a swelling or puffing up of the heart. There is no vice more firmly rooted in man than pride; yet why should man be proud? He has only to look into himself to find more grounds for humility than for pride. Every man is proud but no man will acknowledge his pride - an indication that there is something base and disgraceful in this vice. A proud man is almost always wanting in justice and good judgment. What is more humiliating? Thus wise men regard a vain and proud man as a species of fool, and deal with him accordingly. Fortunate would the proud man be, if God were to regard him in that light; he would not then be punished so severely.

Second Point - Pride, says the Holy Spirit, is the beginning of all sin. (Ecclesiasticus 10:13) Every sin is a result of pride, because it is a want of submission to God. Pride does not appear to be the most grievous sin, but it is most fatal in its effects. From pride come ambition, presumption, hypocrisy and obstinacy. From pride come revolts, blasphemy, envy and revenge. From pride comes the inordinate desire to increase our wealth by illegitimate means.

Third Point - Pride, says the Holy Spirit, is abominable in the sight of God. (Proverbs 16:5) Every proud man is an abomination to the Lord. As pride is the cause of all sin, so it is the cause of all punishments of sin. Pride precipitated into hell countless multitudes of angels. Pride expelled Adam from the earthly paradise and excluded his posterity from it, by making them participate in his sin and punishment. God punishes the proud man; He deprives him of many graces and opposes his designs, because the proud man opposes the designs of God. God abandons the proud man, and leaves him to his disgraceful passions in order to humiliate him and thus remedy his pride. How great then must be an evil which can be eradicated only in this fatal manner!

Strive to realize how deeply pride is rooted in your heart, and how fatal are its results. Take the resolution to humble yourself as often as possible.

Pride is hateful before God and men. - Ecclesiasticus 10:7

Man should be ashamed to be proud when he thinks how humble God became for him. - Saint Augustine of Hippo

- text taken from Meditations for Every Day in a Month, by Father François Nepveu