The information in this article is largely based on several chapters in The Three Ages of the Interior Life by the great Dominican scholar, Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange.
Pride Leads to All Sin
The seven capital sins “are not the gravest sins of all; they are less grave than heresy, apostasy, despair, and hatred of God. But the capital sins are those toward which we are first of all inclined, and which lead to a separation from God and to still graver sins” (The Three Ages of the Interior Life, p. 382).
Per St. Thomas Aquinas, all of the seven deadly sins spring from an inordinate love of self. Inordinate self-love must be mortified so that ordered love of self may prevail in us. This love is the secondary act of charity, by which the just man loves himself for God in order to glorify God.
The three concupiscences[1] come from inordinate self-love (i.e., those of the flesh, of the eyes, and the pride of life). Concupiscence of the flesh leads to gluttony, sloth, and lust. Concupiscence of the eyes leads to avarice, envy, and anger. Pride of life leads to all sin and perdition – hence, the importance of humility.
Humility Conquers Pride
Pride is the inordinate love of our own excellence; it can apply to the irascible appetites (e.g., pride in our physical strength) or in the will (e.g., intellectual or spiritual pride). Pride is a spiritual sin and less debasing but more serious than sins of the flesh.
Pride induces one to view all things from his perspective and to consider that [biased] perspective as the most accurate view of reality. It leads one to see the value of things – and even other persons – in terms of personal benefit. It leads to a sense of entitlement, stubbornness, selfishness, and vindictiveness against all perceived injustices. Consequently, pride leads one to think of himself as the center or the universe, albeit often unconsciously.
Pride is directly opposed to humility. Humility and magnanimity are connected virtues that complete and balance each other, whereas pride and pusillanimity are contradictory vices. This teaching of the Church reminds us that virtue is the mean between two extremes.[2]
Pride can manifest itself in many forms, such as vain curiosity, levity of mind, foolish and misplaced joy, boasting, singularity, arrogance, presumption, refusal to recognize one’s errors, vanity, concealing one’s sins in confession, rebellion, and even contempt of God. The principal defects springing from pride are presumption, ambition, and vainglory.
We can conquer pride and thereby grow in humility through several means: mental prayer, the practice of the presence of God, charitable service to others, reciting the Litany of Humility, making a daily examination of conscience, and living the Message of Fatima.
Mental Prayer as a Means to Grow in Humility
Prayer depends especially on the grace of God, so we prepare for it by humility and purity of intention. Preparation for a life of prayer also depends on mortification so the spirit is detached from created things and from self. Those who have reached the age of reason cannot be saved without prayer, yet prayer cannot be acceptable to God if it is not established on humility (cf. Luke 18:9-14).
Prayer must be prepared by an act of humility, proceed from the heart, and be governed by the theological virtues (which unite us to God and animate the virtue of religion). Prayer should be offered under the light and inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Hence, we must always invoke His aid. Using this method, after calling on the Holy Ghost and praying an act of humility we should make a profound act of faith in some fundamental truth of the Faith. On feast days, the liturgy and Divine Office readings may give us the subject for this. In time, as a soul grows, the acts of humility, faith, hope, and charity tend to fuse into a gaze of ardent love.
The Practice of the Presence of God as a Means to Grow in Humility
St. Francis de Sales taught that true humility begins with recognizing our complete dependence on God. He encouraged souls under his charge to cultivate a constant awareness of God’s presence in their lives and to acknowledge that every good thing comes from Him. See “Why and How to Practice the Presence of God” for more information.
Charitable Service to Others as a Means to Grow in Humility
St. Francis de Sales believed that humility is demonstrated through acts of service and kindness to others. He taught that true greatness lies in serving others selflessly, without seeking recognition or praise. Whenever we feel ourselves experiencing pride, we should strive to do true acts of charity and service to others through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.[3]
The Litany of Humility as a Means to Grow in Humility
We can heal pride by praying the Litany of Humility every single morning, on our knees as part of our morning prayers. When doing so, it is important to pray it slowly and thoughtfully. Do not rush through the litany, but rather actually pray each line. Reflect on each and every one. And in so doing, this can be an extremely powerful means to grow in humility.
The Nightly Examination of Conscience as a Means to Grow in Humility
Every evening, with humility and contrition, we should examine our actions of the day. We should not turn an examination into the search for the slightest venial faults, which leads to scruples. On the contrary, we should ask the Lord to inspire us with the holy hatred of sin and to see our souls as He sees them.
Fatima Connection
We do well to recall that pride is the ultimate sin of Lucifer, who rebelled against God: ‘non serviam!’ (I will not serve). This greatest of angels – an angel of light, music, and beauty – became the most depraved and evil of all creatures on account of pride.
On the other hand, Our Blessed Mother is the most humble of all creatures. She thinks nothing of Herself, never counts the cost in obeying God’s will, and lives for God alone. All those who are consecrated to Her should strive to imitate Her humility. This in turn will help one grow in devotion to Her Immaculate Heart. In this devotion and its corresponding humility, we have excellent role models in the three visionaries of Fatima, Ss. Francisco and Jacinta and Ven. Sister Lucia dos Santos. (An excellent and simple book to learn about the spirituality of these three seers is Fatima: A Spiritual Light for Our Times Vol II by Father Karl Stehlin.)
Conclusion
The remedy for pride is to tell ourselves that of ourselves we are nothing. All we have comes from God, Who works in us both to will and to accomplish. But to reach humility we must receive a passive purification by the light and gifts of the Holy Ghost.
We can and should strive to grow in humility by the above practices, but to suffer contradictions and trials can also be a great aid toward developing humility. One cannot grow in humility without suffering humiliation. This is very painful. Our strong aversion to being humiliated makes it difficult to grow in humility. Consider, do you ever pray to God that He send you humiliations?
Only God can grant us humility. We can make our souls receptive to Him, but it is a gift that only He can give us. Let us prepare our souls for humility and earnestly ask Him to help us grow every single day in genuine humility.
ENDNOTES
[1] Definition from the Modern Catholic Dictionary by Fr. John Hardon:
“Insubordination of man’s desires to the dictates of reason, and the propensity of human nature to sin as a result of original sin. More commonly, it refers to the spontaneous movement of the sensitive appetites toward whatever the imagination portrays as pleasant and away from whatever it portrays as painful. However, concupiscence also includes the unruly desires of the will, such as pride, ambition, and envy. (Etym. Latin con-, thoroughly + cupere, to desire: concupiscentia, desire, greed, cupidity.)”
[2] The concept that virtue is the mean between two extremes is often attributed to Aristotle. According to Aristotle, each virtue represents a middle ground between two vices, which are extremes on either side of the virtue. For example:
Courage: The virtue of courage lies between the extremes of cowardice and recklessness. A courageous person is neither overly fearful nor excessively daring but instead displays a balanced willingness to face challenges in accordance with reason.
Generosity: Generosity is the virtue that lies between the vices of stinginess and extravagance. A generous person gives freely and willingly but not to the point of wastefulness or neglecting their own needs.
Temperance: Temperance is the virtue that moderates between the extremes of indulgence and austerity. A temperate person enjoys pleasures in moderation and avoids excesses that could lead to harm or imbalance.
Justice: Justice is the virtue that finds the mean between selfishness and selflessness. A just person seeks to give each individual their due, neither exploiting others for personal gain nor sacrificing their own well-being excessively for the sake of others.
[3] The Baltimore Catechism summarizes the corporal works of mercy: “The chief corporal works of mercy are seven: To feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to ransom the captive, to harbor the harborless, to visit the sick, and to bury the dead” (Baltimore Catechism #3, Q. 819). The spiritual works of mercy are also summarized a few paragraphs earlier: “The chief spiritual works of mercy are seven: To admonish the sinner, to instruct the ignorant, to counsel the doubtful, to comfort the sorrowful, to bear wrongs patiently, to forgive all injuries, and to pray for the living and the dead” (Baltimore Catechism #3, Q. 813).
