The Sin of Pride

Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I do not have a computer virus, I have a screwed up internet connection (the support guy said he’s never seen such a low connection speed before), probably an outside line. The bad news is I have to wait until Friday for them to come fix it. So looks like I’ll be posting my updates from school this week. On the plus side, no internet means no gaming, which means more writing this week.

As promised, today I’m starting a series on the Seven Deadly Sins. I came up with the idea while doing some research on them ‘cause I thought they’d make a cool subject for a poem. The poem didn’t work out, but fortunately I saved a bunch of the information.

We start with the Sin of Pride.

Proverbs 16:18 - Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

"These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren." ( Prov. 6:16-19).

Pride, also known as Vanity, is considered the mother of all sins, the sin from which all others spring. It is the sin that turned the archangel Lucifer the “seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” into the devil, the one for whom Hell itself was created. We're warned to guard our hearts against pride lest we too "fall into the same condemnation as the devil."

It was the sin of pride which first led Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. In Genesis we read, "Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.”

The sin of pride is a preoccupation with self. Pride is all about "me, myself, and I." So even as the word "pride" is centered upon an "i," the sin itself is also centered upon "I." It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self

Your punishment in Hell will be: You'll be broken on the wheel.

To save yourself from being sent to Hell for the sin of Pride, you must practice:

The Heavenly Virtue Humility

The term "humility" is derived from the Latin word "humilitas", a noun related to the adjective "humilis", translated not only as "humble", but also as "low", or "from the earth”. It is defined as: modest behavior, selflessness, and the giving of respect - giving credit where credit is due and not unfairly glorifying one's own self.

St. Bernard defines it as: "A virtue by which a man knowing himself as he truly is, abases himself" while St. Thomas says: "The virtue of humility consists in keeping oneself within one's own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one's superior"

No man can humiliate another, but only himself, and this he can do properly only when aided by Divine grace. Humility removes pride and according to the words of St. James: "God resisteth the proud, and giveth his grace to the humble" (James 4:6).