“I am so proud of you!” “You should be proud of what you have accomplished.” “Have pride in your work.”
Pride is a good thing, isn’t it? I mean, we are all proud of our children. It sort of motivates us to do a quality job. We get to step back and admire the work we did and makes us want to continue on in the same vein.
But then again, Pride is not only one of the seven deadly sins but it has been said to be the one deadly sin that can lead to the other six. Which I will touch on later in the reflection.
In today’s first reading from 1 Corinthians Saint Paul is having to admonish the Christians in Corinth. He has to sort of reel them in a bit because they seem to be developing a sort of puffed up sense of who they are. It is as if they have gained this inside knowledge about Christ, and living as a Christian, and now see themselves as superior to all others. They are in the inner circle. Paul has to warn them to not go beyond what is written. They have apparently expounded on Christ’s teachings, as given to them by Paul, and adding their own beliefs and lessons to what Jesus taught. Not merely reflecting (as I hope is all the writers here at ACM are doing) but creating.
And they also have gained a belief that they no longer have to suffer with Christ. That they have already reached the glory of God. The beatitudes have been fulfilled in them. They have already received the kingdom of God. They are comforted and have inherited the earth and all its riches. They have become prideful in the most negative sense of the word.
So how is what Paul is warning the Corinthians about different than the pride that is shown in our work or our children? Sinful pride puts the focus on ourselves. That our accomplishments are the work of our own hands only. That others, and God, play no role in our successes. And this reliance on ourselves as bearer of all that is good, interferes with the recognition that all is given to us as a gift from the grace of God. That apart from God we can accomplish nothing. That we are merely the branches and Christ is the vine. Paul asks the Corinthian community in 4:7, highlighting that all is from God:
“What do you have that you did not receive?”
In 1812 Napoleon Bonaparte was in command of all of Europe…except for England. The Russian Czar did not support Napoleon in his plans to boycott then invade England. Napoleon was not going to be shown up by the Russians and he undertook a great invasion. Believing the battle would be short lived, he did not supply the army with winter gear. Upon reaching Moscow, the Russian army held against Napoleon’s larger forces, dragging the battle into the winter. This allowed the Russian army to inflict significant enough damage on Napoleon’s forces to cause them to retreat with only a fraction of the army making it back to Paris. This weakness then resulted in former allies turning on Napoleon causing his final downfall. But at the heart of his greed for greater and greater conquests, and his anger towards anyone who would get in his way, stemmed from the underlying pride in self.
“Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18)
Why is Pride the most deadly of the seven deadly sins? Because pride can lead us to the other six:
Lust – the belief that we deserve physical pleasure. We see the end result in sinful behavior such as rape or adultery.
Sloth – the belief that others should do our work for us. Especially work that is “beneath” us.
Gluttony – the belief that overconsuming is our right because of “who we are”
Greed – the belief that we deserve more than others
Envy – the belief that we deserve what others have
Wrath – the belief that we have the right to take out revenge on our enemies and this takes precedence over justice, forgiveness or patience
While we may not invade Russia because of our excessive, self-directed pride, we can easily allow pride to lead us to taking advantage of others in our lives. We should not have to help our spouse in cleaning up after dinner. I have been working at this job too long to have to deal with THAT client. I should have gotten that job instead of Frank, so I will make his life miserable. I have been married 25 years. I deserve a little fun with my co-worker. Let’s just see if that guy gets away with cutting me off in traffic.
What is the antidote for pride? Humility. It is putting the other person ahead of you. Even when you think they don’t deserve it. Letting someone else take the credit or step into the limelight. Stopping yourself from pointing out your own accomplishments and instead giving credit to someone else. Ultimately that someone else is God. The source of all that is good and all that you have.
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10)
“Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips” (Prov. 27:2)
Our culture today preaches for us to let the world know what we accomplish. To shout out our talents from the rooftops. But it is God who deserves the credit. So go ahead and point to the sky when you experience success and give Him all the glory. For without the vine we are all just withered branches.
