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Writer's pictureSarah Raad

Pride

The Blessed Virgin chose to be perfectly humble and through that humility she chose to be perfectly obedient to God.

Lucifer (Natalie Clifford Barney)

I have heard it said that there are no humble souls in Hell.


And I have been thinking about that today. Do not forget that the very first sin – offence against God – ever committed was committed by the angels who fell through their disobedience to the Holy Will of God. And that disobedience was driven by their pride – their belief that their way was better than God’s way. In the Mystical City of God, Venerable Mary of Agreda wrote of her revelations that in fact, Lucifer disobeyed God because he learned of God’s plan for the Blessed Virgin and his pride was insulted by the idea that a human soul would be elevated above the angels to become Queen of Heaven…


And so, the source of all sin was really the sin of pride. This is why the Blessed Virgin is the Handmaid of the Lord… Because she chose to be perfectly humble and through that humility she chose to be perfectly obedient to God.


And I have been reflecting on that humility. You see, I like to consider myself a humble soul – but I am (of course) a very proud soul…


You see, pride does not only display as a Roman Emperor – parading around in the Arena and pretending to be a god. It is not only displayed as despotism and power and the clamour of a mob following the victor. Pride is far more insidious than that. Pride is the offence that I take to the words or actions of my neighbour who does not really intend to insult me. Pride is the preference of myself in favour of my neighbour. Pride is my belief in my own excellence…

In Friends of God, Saint Josemaria wrote at 101, “All this can be, and is, a common temptation. A person can come to see himself as the sun and centre of all those around him. Everything must centre round himself. And to satisfy this unhealthy urge, the proud person will sometimes even fake pain, sadness or illness to attract attention so that others will make a fuss of him... In this miserable mood everything makes him bitter and he tries to upset others also. All this because he doesn’t wish to be humble, because he hasn’t learned to forget himself in order to give himself generously in the service of others for the love of God.”


And I have been thinking about this today, because that pride – like most sins – is so insidious that it is almost invisible. And the danger in that is that I shall only see my pride in the Final Judgement, when all things are made clear and when I see my sins firmly through the eyes of my God.


And I have been thinking about that today. Because it seems that I am very proud…


For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.


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