The pride, ambition.

Jacob traditionally cuts to the living and pillages the shortcomings of the first Christians and, of course, ours as well. Today, he is aiming for strife. Likewise, the Gospel also portrays to us this ailment among the apostles. What is its leading cause? James points out pride with the words: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” The proud resists God and sets himself above others. Even the apostles argued among themselves on the way, which of them was more remarkable. All spiritual authors agree that pride is the summit and, as it were, the sum of all vices and sins. Despite this, we are aware that we often have «proud» thoughts that we do not consider to be so bad. So, subconsciously, we distinguish, as it were, two types of pride: serious and less severe.

Eastern authors talk about two similar but fundamentally different vices: vanity and pride. In the West, we have seven cardinal sins; in the East, we have eight (including vanity). In both cases, we take credit for the good and expose for admiration something that is not our merit. We seek glory in it. However, it can be true glory or “vain glory,” i.e., we brag about something admirable in itself, except that it is not our merit, or we allow ourselves to be praised for small, insignificant, vain advantages. Can we brag? In the eyes of ascetics, the only genuine praise should be virtuous, a share in God’s life.

Christians further enrich our understanding of the pride, which they view as an undeserved gift of grace. The classic image of pride is the Pharisee who prays: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector (Lk 18, 2).” The proud demand admiration and respect from people for what they undeservedly received from God, thus considering themselves superior to others. It is rightly pointed out that those who lead a spiritual life are particularly susceptible to the danger of pride. It is the ‘last demon’ that attacks those who have freed themselves ‘from the others’. However, it is not limited to them. It instills a sense of superiority over others for good deeds, theological knowledge, or calling to a spiritual state… It is said that pride precedes a fall, a stark reminder of its consequences.

The proud easily fall into base sins; a theologian proud of his knowledge ends up espousing delusions. “Self-sufficiency of one’s judgment” is, according to Theodore of Cyrus, the most severe disease of intelligent people who have lost their humility. “Own will” and “self-will” are the pride of people capable of practical life. Vanity, «vain glory,» is understandably a much less harmful vice. What can a person be proud of? If someone can be admired for his curly hair, beautiful voice, and origin of a wealthy family, he seeks fame in the things that are “vain” and insignificant compared to the great values ​​of life.

Within. Francis of Sales says that sometimes it is a “passion” that is quite ridiculous (what people can brag about!), but that has a hard life; it is said to die «up to half an hour after the death of a person.» Even at the last breath, human considerations bind us. In a more developed stage, vanity leads to insincerity, lies, strife, and scattering of properties. It is also called “human considerations,” understandably in a pejorative sense, if someone can be diverted from the good out of fear of losing unnecessary admiration. We are also talking about ambition and unreasonable desire for human praise.

Let’s consider ambition for a moment. Ambition, as we see in the case of the apostles described in today’s Gospel, is often compared by spiritual authors to a thief who accompanies the traveler to the end of the road and robs him there. An ambitious person may diligently work, keep the commandments, and attend church. The stronger his desire for honor, the more fervent his efforts. But in the end, he will lose the credit for his good deeds, because he did them not for God, but only for vain praise. So we can associate excessive ambition with vanity. Perhaps this would have been a reality for the apostles if they had not been cleansed by the Holy Spirit and remained in the desires described in today’s Gospel. They strove for perfection in order to have leading positions.  

Therefore, it is typically carried out, as St. Writes. Paul, that God chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world God decides to shame the strong; God has chosen what is not born of the world and what it despises, even what does not exist, to bring to nothing, that is, so that no one can stand before God (1 Cor 1, 27-29). And so people experiencing poverty become great people.