The Gospel of Luke, chapter 18-14

“Pride.” indeed, is considered the deadliest of sins in scripture, and it is the trait that moved the highest angel into rebellion against God. It is an ambiguous word in English, for while one should properly take pride in doing his or her job well, one should not be proud of anything one was not personally responsible for. The Pharisee, with head unbowed in today’s Gospel, was proud of being holier than thou. He was arrogant and self righteous and refused to acknowledge humbly that what he had received was only his by the grace of God. He was lacking in true humility.
As we commonly use it, pride is a defensive word we use to describe the behavior of those who regard themselves as superior in some identifiable way. No one, for instance, would ever think of being proud of his or her race, sex or creed, unless a part of society at large scorned him or her for it; unless they felt put -down by those who viewed themselves as more important or above them.
We have a right to be proud, in one sense, when we act up to our fullest potential as human beings; it is only then that we are fulfilling our nature. To be proud of anything we have inherited or acquired without any merit on our part is as silly as showing off because we have blue eyes or blond hair, or were born on the other side of the tracks.
The antidote to pride, as we discover in today’s Gospel, is humility. Humility is truth. Recognizing ourselves for what we are and for what we can become by the grace of God requires humility and creates a true sense of personal identity.
The tax-collector in today’s Gospel was not delusional like the self-righteous Pharisee who “despised everyone else.” The tax-collector was a humble person who admitted he was a sinner, and sought forgiveness, praying from the heart: “0 God, be merciful to me a sinner.” His attitude of humility saved him whereas the Pharisee’s attitude of pride condemned him. This is why the Lord says: “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Fr. Hugh Duffy