We began last week publishing the lectures of His Holiness the Pope that he gives every Friday in the Great Cathedral of St. Mark. The previous lecture was the beginning of a series on “Pride and Humility,” which we continue in this issue.
Pride and Humility (1)

There are mother-virtues that give birth to many virtues. And there are mother-sins that in turn give birth to numerous sins. One of these, if it enters the heart, can corrupt it entirely—like a single drop of ink that falls into a cup of water and ruins all the water. Among this type is pride… Through it, the heart and mind together can be corrupted, the whole life, and the relationship with God and with people. So what are the results of pride and its offspring?

1- Pride and selfishness:
The proud person always falls into selfishness, into self-love. He is a person centered on himself. He sees in the world nothing but himself alone. Whoever collides with this self, he must crush him, so that his own self remains alone. While we see the humble one loving all people, we see the proud, centered on himself, loving only himself.

2- Pride produces envy and jealousy:
Self-love and selfishness that result from pride can lead a person to envy and jealousy. How did Cain kill his brother? He wanted to be the one accepted by God. When God accepted his brother Abel, envy entered him, he was troubled, anger entered him, then revenge, and it ended in murder… It is a fertile sin.

St. Macarius says: “Rejoice in the perfection of your brethren.” But the proud does not rejoice if his brother becomes perfect. He wants to be the only perfect one…!

The saintly person loves that all people become saints. The loving father rejoices if his son becomes great, and greater than him, as David rejoiced in his son Solomon. But the proud, if he sees someone honored more than himself, becomes troubled, envies him, and even hates him. St. Augustine said: “Pride is the mother of envy.”

Every proud person can become envious. The envious one feeds upon the misfortunes of others. The proud finds it burdensome to praise another. But the humble says: “This one is more righteous than I, this one is better than I, this one is deeper than I in prayer, this one is more knowledgeable than I, this one is closer to God…” And he praises all, while describing only himself as sinful.

But if the heart becomes arrogant from within, a person sees himself in good condition, and sees all others as evil, ignorant, and deficient… Thus St. Palladius said about Abba Poemen: “He treated envy with humility.” St. John the Ascetic said: “Envy is the fruit of vain glory.” And he was asked: “What is the final limit of envy?” He answered: “Its limit is that a person can no longer bear to hear any praise said about another”!

The humble does not envy others, because he does not desire the elevation they receive. He always takes the last place and honors others above himself. He continually considers himself unworthy of anything, not even of sitting among people. Therefore he praises all, honors all, and envies no one. But the proud, since he wants all honor and praise for himself alone, becomes sad at the success of others and rejoices at their failure…

Selfishness, envy, and jealousy are results of pride. What else?

3- Disobedience and lack of consultation:
The humble can obey because he sees that the opinion of the father or guide is better than his own. But the proud highly esteems his own opinion. He attacks any opinion that clashes with his, even if it is the opinion of his guide, or at least he despises it inwardly and belittles it. Therefore, if he obeys the guide or spiritual father, his obedience requires much forcing of himself, and he considers it a cross, or a form of martyrdom, or a heavy burden. But the humble rejoices in guidance and considers the word of his spiritual father as coming from the mouth of God.

The humble does not wait to be commanded so that he may obey, but takes initiative to seek counsel, because he does not rely on his own understanding. He constantly feels that he needs to learn, to ask, and to understand. Therefore spiritual fathers find comfort with their humble children. But the proud does not seek counsel, because he feels that nothing of knowledge is lacking in him. He is self-sufficient in his understanding. And if he asks his confessor, he only asks about matters in which his opinion already agrees with the father’s. But if he knows that his confessor has a different view, he avoids consulting him so as not to be forced into disobedience.

The humble asks about everything and does not disdain asking someone less than himself, and he respects everyone’s opinion. But the proud rarely asks. Why should he ask when he understands everything?! Everything is clear before him and needs no questions. And there is no one greater than him in understanding for him to ask!

St. Macarius the Great asked the young Zachariah and benefited from his answer.
St. Anthony the Great benefited from a word spoken by a woman who did not hesitate to remove her clothes before him to bathe in the river. And St. Ephrem the Syrian benefited from a phrase spoken by a sinful woman.

The humble can learn from anyone and takes the good present in everything.
But the proud tries to benefit only from his own ideas and rejects all else, or views the opinions of others with an eye of criticism or of destruction. Therefore he does not see the good to benefit from it; his gaze is sensitive mainly to evil…

The humble finds it easy to obey, for he believes that God will send him the word he needs through the mouth of his guide or anyone speaking to him. And God gives him according to his faith; for his faith, God gives the speaker what to say to him.

But the proud, because of his critical spirit and little faith, does not benefit from what he hears.

4- Pride and argumentation:
The humble is easy in speech, does not argue much, and does not interrupt others. He searches for the white points—what is good—in what he hears, reads, or sees, and benefits from them. But the proud always has a dark view; he always searches for the mistake and criticizes it in order to prove to others that he is more understanding and deeper in thought. He does not look for the white points to benefit, but for the dark points to criticize.

He does not seek the white points for two reasons: first, because he does not want to benefit and is not in need of benefiting from others; second, because in his loftiness he sees others as beneath him, so he seeks the points that prove they are less than he is.

The proud argues much, debates, or in common expression: “he insists and resists.”
He cannot accept another’s opinion. If he disagrees with someone, then that someone must be wrong and he must be right, and he must prove his correctness even by sophistry or stubborn arguing…

The humble is easy to understand and deal with. But with the proud, your conversation may lengthen, the discussion may last hours, and you reach no conclusion. It becomes merely an argument so that he may prove he is right.

When Job the righteous was “right in his own eyes,” his three friends debated with him at length for 28 chapters, and nothing was resolved…
Thus the saints said that the proud loves to uphold his own word constantly.
He cannot say “I have sinned” in anything, because he sees this as against his dignity, against his knowledge, and against people’s opinion of him…

5- Pride and stubbornness:
Because of all the above, we see the proud characterized by stubbornness, rigidity of opinion, and an unwillingness to move even a hair’s breadth from his view, no matter how much others try to convince him he is wrong.

The humble can easily admit fault—not only regarding his own faults, but he may even attribute to himself the faults of others, bear responsibility for them, acknowledge them, and accept punishment for them. It is easy for him to say “I have sinned,” to say it to anyone, and to repeat it daily. But the proud is stubborn. The discussion with him grows long, evidence and proofs increase without benefit… He is not easy in speech nor in accepting others’ opinions. The humble may accept an opposing opinion with respect.

But the proud is a storm without compassion, destroying everything in its path with stubbornness and insistence, without mercy…

6- Pride and competition:
The proud, since he loves to be greater than all, enters into rivalries and conflicts with others. But the humble competes with no one, placing before him the Scripture: “in honor giving preference to one another.” He loves the last place and flees from the first, leaving it easily to the proud.

The Spiritual Elder said: “In every place you find yourself, be the smallest of your brethren and their servant.” The humble listens to the words of Christ and becomes last of all; therefore he competes with no one.

7- Pride gives birth to murmuring:
If the humble receives something small, he considers himself unworthy even of that little. Therefore he is always thankful, not only for the little but even if he receives nothing; he says: It is enough that I enjoy life, and this I do not deserve. Thus he is always joyful, content, and satisfied.

But the proud always murmurs. No matter how much he receives, he feels he deserves more…
Even in dealings with others, he always wants a certain level of respect and esteem. If he receives it, he does not give thanks, because he considers it natural. If he does not receive it, he becomes resentful. He always demands more, because his soul constantly wants to grow. Satan was created an angel, in great glory, and was not satisfied. He wanted to become like God (Isaiah 14). The life of humility is linked with thanksgiving; pride is linked with murmuring.

The proud may feel oppressed no matter how much he is given, feeling he deserves more.

8- Pride and psychological illnesses:
The proud easily falls into illnesses. His soul murmurs, rages, and becomes angry for the sake of his dignity. He does not endure like the humble, therefore his nerves are always troubled and tired. His feeling of being wronged may lead him to the illness of persecution-complex, and his feeling of greatness may develop into the illness of paranoia, so that delusions of grandeur overcome him, and he imagines himself above all, acting in ways consistent with this delusion.

9- Other traits of the proud and the humble:
The humble does not like to appear, while the proud loves appearance, loves fame, and loves to be the center of attention and the object of sight. The humble hides so that others may appear. He might enter a church and stand behind a column so no one sees him. He feels he is not worthy to enter the church, nor worthy of anyone’s attention.

The sin of pride gives birth to the sins of boasting, arrogance, and grandeur.

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1. Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine, Fifth Year – Issue Eight, 23-11-1974

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