Pride is the greatest threat that threatens not only spiritual progress but the entire project of salvation as a whole.
Humility is the essential virtue
There are many virtues, and it is difficult to know how to exercise them all. But humility is a virtue that absolutely cannot be lacking since the Lord is exalted and looks upon the humble
but turns his gaze from afar to the proud (Psalms 137:6).
It is interesting to note how the scriptures equate humility with wisdom:
The wisdom of the humble will hold his head high and
allow him to sit among the great.
(Sir 11:1)
Humble is not someone who acts with false modesty, but someone who recognizes his smallness before God. The humble person knows he needs God, he does not despise the gifts and talents he has received, but gives them the right value, aware that they are not his merit.
Humility is therefore the cornerstone of every other virtue; it is only on it that true wisdom, which comes only from God, can rest.
Spiritual pride
Spiritual pride, in the path of faith, presents itself as an ever-present danger. It can have different facets and manifest itself in many ways. Here are some:
- belief that one already does everything necessary for spiritual life: this happens especially to those who assiduously attend Church and the sacraments, to those who pray and carry out various practices of devotion; pride manifests itself in the belief that one has reached the highest spiritual stage and that one does not need further help or direction. Even stronger and more insidious can be the temptation to believe that one deserves salvation because of these practices, salvation that one has earned with one’s actions; in reality, it is exactly the opposite: the more one progresses, the more one should feel one’s smallness, the greatness of one’s sin, the constant need to turn to God’s help to be holy as He wants us to be and as He alone can make us be;
- inability to accept one’s own mistakes: as we have seen, the humble person knows he is weak and needs Jesus. The humble person, therefore, is sorry for his own mistakes but accepts them precisely because they are the fruit of the weakness he knows he has. He constantly fights to improve himself and trusts in God to make this happen, but he is not upset by his falls because he truly knows himself. Pride takes over when, instead, every sin committed becomes unacceptable, and becomes the fruit of constant torment. It is a duty to feel sorry for one’s sins, which are an offense to God, but at the same time, it is necessary to proceed joyfully on the path, knowing that God forgives and that he always offers the possibility of redemption. Even in this case, those who are well on the spiritual path risk living sin no longer with the holy sorrow of having committed it and the equally holy hope of forgiveness, but falling victim to pride and self-love, to the point of not being able to accept having made a mistake. Thus we fall into a state of frustration and distance ourselves from God because through arrogance we are ashamed to return to the Father to ask – humbly – for forgiveness;
- conviction of deserving graces and use of one’s wisdom: Saint Paul, in his letter to the Romans (11:20) always recommends remembering that we are branches, which subsist not thanks to themselves but to the roots. And he warns: they, however, were cut off because of infidelity, while you remain there because of faith. Do not therefore become proud, but fear!
The Apostle warns against becoming convinced of having special merits. When one advances on the path of faith, it can happen (not because of merit, but because of God’s inscrutable plan) that one experiences particular spiritual joys or receives tangible signs of Jesus’ closeness. From here to becoming proud is a very short step, because the idea can creep into us that we deserve these things, that we are more special than others, that we have done something so good that we earn these “gifts” from God. Be careful!, says Saint Paul. We stand because there is One who makes us stand. We are branches attached because of faith. “ Fear !” Paul continues. Always keep your attention focused on God, because if you move it from there and focus it on yourself, you get lost.The same risk falls on those who claim to understand the words of God with their intelligence alone, with study, with their logic. The Protestant Reformation clearly shows us the disastrous results of this way of acting: only God can illuminate correctly so that his Word is understood. Without prayer and the intervention of the Holy Spirit – without, in short, keeping our hearts and minds open to divine suggestions – there is no way to understand the true will of God. This is
what Jeremiah recommends: Listen and incline your ear, do not be arrogant, because the Lord speaks (Jer 13:15). It is not we who understand. It is the Lord who speaks and we must listen. We must put ourselves in a position to receive, we must incline our ears. Then He will take care of making us understand because it is He who speaks; - ingratitude: forgetting what God has done for us. After receiving some particular grace, it is easy to feel joy and gratitude, to thank God with all our heart for the help He has given us. But time risks wearing out these good feelings, making us forget the favor, and above all feeding pride to the point of keeping in mind only our actions and not those of God. Thus the grace that has allowed us to obtain something becomes our conquest. The healing obtained is no longer a priceless gift for which we should always be grateful, but the merit of science. Conversion, the greatest miracle that God can perform in us, ceases to be a miracle and becomes our own decision for growth.
How can we avoid falling into these temptations?
- Always remember the warning of the Apostle Paul: Do not be conceited, but fear!
- listening to the advice of many saints, including St. Teresa of Avila, who recommends, first of all, to examine one ‘s conscience and learn to know oneself deeply: in this way, one will never lose sight of one’s smallness
- using perseverance, which, as St. Francis de Sales said, will conquer everything. Never retreat in prayer, in approaching the sacraments, and in devotional practices, even when doing so seems burdensome;
- especially with prayer and with the Eucharist. Prayer is the means that God has given us to overcome all temptations. Without prayer, one can only fail. With prayer, one can achieve everything.
