Exercise VII: The Punishment of Pride

First point: Personal ineffectiveness.

Second point: The abandonment and aversion of God.

Third point: Forfeiture and degradation.

Evening Preparation.—Pride tends to deprive God of His glory, and of His rightful place. It puts in His place, unintentionally, perhaps, but practically, what is already sufficiently detestable. How is it that God suffers it? What would be the feelings of a human master towards a servant who did what he liked and insisted that he was within his rights? How would he treat him? He would not only punish him, but he would punish him in such a way as to bring home to him the meanness and despicableness of his pretensions.

All law aims at maintaining order; and humility is the law of our present condition.

Its violation produces disorder within us, around us, and in our intercourse with God; and from thence proceed error, danger, failure, perhaps the ruin of virtue, and even final impenitence.

Punishment seldom falls swiftly on the culprit, it comes slowly but surely. Years may pass during which he may have no forebodings, and he may become so confirmed in his mistaken path as to pursue it almost unconsciously.

I will place before myself to-morrow this real cause for fear. May it incite me to make strong resolutions. It must be remembered that it is not enough that we do not seem to be proud, we must feel humble—that is, worthless and helpless in ourselves.

MEDITATION

PRELUDE.—To ask God to convince me that the question of humility and pride is a question of life or death.

1. Personal ineffectiveness.—Pride possesses the fatal property of rendering ineffective in us everything that it touches. The most beautiful action, inspired by pride, is worthless in the sight of God. It is like an unfruitful flower, and everything good that is tainted by the breath of pride withers in the same way. Thus the most active life that is inspired by pride is like the vessel of the Danaids that nothing could replenish because it was full of holes.

Our Lord, speaking of the Pharisees who fasted and prayed in order to attract attention, cried, "Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward."

Why, indeed, should God reward what is not done for Him? He will not, and besides, He cannot, for every action that is not prompted by a supernatural intention, at least virtually, is deprived of His co-operation. There is no life in it, and grace being absent, no glory can shine upon it. Not being inspired by the Holy Spirit, it cannot receive the blessing of Heaven.

We may imagine the chagrin of the proud man when, after death, he finds himself with his hands empty, and hears the sentence: "I know you not." He is amazed. Has he not prophesied? Has he not suffered a thousand hardships? Has he not given himself up to pious exercises, even to the very hour of his death?

Yes, he has done all this, and in certain works he has been very successful. But what has been the principal motive of all his activity? Applause, respect. He has, alas! obtained them, and that is all. His reward is worthy of his vanity: Receperunt mercedem vani vanum—"Their virtue was vain, and vain was their reward " (S. Augustine).

Happy is he if heaven is still open to him. He owes it to the only Mercy, and that Mercy has perhaps been touched by some little good deed, or pious practice, that he has made small account of; perhaps by some prayer of another and very humble soul.

But what treasures of grace has he lost for ever!

2. The abandonment and aversion of God.—In order to chastise the proud man, God has no need to arm Himself with a sword; it is sufficient to leave him to himself. Nothing could be more just, since he is presumptuous; nothing could be more fatal, for he is weak.

Blinded by his illusions, swayed by his impulses, he rushes into the abyss. His sense of danger is dormant, his eyes are blinded, and he does not feel the need of asking for light and help.

Now, between the all-powerful God and man who is essentially weak, there is a tacit contract. "Be humble and pray; keep in thy place," says God, "and I will be in Mine, and will sustain thee."

The bond of this covenant broken, we may be left to ourselves; and this is not a mere possibility.

But if the abandonment of God is terrible, how much more so is His aversion! It is almost hatred; Tres species odivi . . .pauperem superbum—"Three things provoke my hatred . . . the poor man who is proud." Abominatio Domini omnis arrogans—"The Lord holds the arrogant man in abomination."

This hatred pursues the proud man, and nothing can shield him from its avenging fury. Superbia cordis tui exaltavit te: et si exaltatus fueris ut aquila, et si inter sidera posueris nidum tuum, inde detraham te, dicit Dominus. "The pride of thy heart hath lifted thee up; but though thou be exalted as an eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars: thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord."

Let us meditate upon these terrible words, the unexpected revelation of the hatred felt towards this vice by a Heart distinguished for its mercy!

High position, even in the Church; eminent services rendered, even to religion; admirable virtues, no doubt admired too much; all these things may become matter for pride without being a defence of it in the eyes of God. "Thence will I bring thee down"— inde detraham te; and He has already thus treated great potentates—Deposuit potentes de sede.

3. Forfeiture and degradation.—Let us see how the aversion of God is displayed, and to what His abandonment leads.

S. Paul, speaking of the philosophers sunk in their pride, says: Tradidi et illos in desideria cordis eorum in immunditiam—"Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their hearts, unto uncleanness, to dishonour their own bodies among themselves." See them fallen, degraded, and reckoned among the brutes—Animalis homo.

Warned by this spectacle, let us bear in mind that pride is the cause of such degradation, and has the power to produce it. Initium omnis peccati superbia. It is the source of all the vices, as we know by revelation as well as by experience, but we scarcely care to translate the words in which its terrible effects are described in the Scriptures: Sicut eructant præcordia fœtantiam . . . sic et cor superborum.

After this, can we be surprised to hear that pride is one of the most manifest signs of reprobation?

The proud man, once plunged into evil-doing, finds in it his tomb. If he is to be saved, he must recognise his guilt; he must ask for grace, he must humble himself; and of all this he is incapable.

Reflection.—Among the punishments we have just considered, there is not one that we may not be liable to bring upon ourselves sooner or later. Truly we have to fear the insidious growth of pride, and the anger of God when this vice deprives Him of the glory that is His due. We should tremble in considering the different natures of good and evil. There must be nothing lacking to our goodness—any hiatus gives an opening to evil. An action that may be ever so good, if it is prompted by self-love is vitiated even at its birth. Again, though rightly begun, it may be suddenly changed and spoilt by the creeping in of a motive of pride.

Lastly, perfectly accomplished, it may leave in us a destructive germ of self-complacence.

From this dreary picture let us turn our eyes to a more consoling one, that which depicts the reign of humility.

Instead of rendering our greatest actions futile, it gives merit even to the smallest.

Instead of arousing the aversion of God, it calls forth His tenderness.

Instead of debasing us, it elevates. De stercore erigens pauperem. Et exaltavit humiles.

Lastly, instead of the presages of damnation, there are assurances of salvation. Humiles salvabit Dominus. And it cannot be otherwise. The humble man prays, and God listens. Respicit in orationem humilium. He can do all in Him Who strengthens him; he lives, yet not he, but God lives in him. Whenever he can, he retires into shadow and silence, and in the shadow God reveals Himself, and in the silence He speaks to him. He is forgetful of the good that he does, he is gentle to everyone, and filial towards God. Who will not feel the need of the desire to become humble?

RESOLUTION.—I will make myself humble, cost what it will.