PART 10

LIFE OF HUMILITY
AND
MEEKNESS
10





BY HIS HOLINESS AMBA SHENOUDA III,
POPE AND PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
AND
THE APOSTOLIC SEE OF ALL THE PREDICATION OF
SAINT MARK








Translated from "WATANY" newspaper, 10 September 2000










Pride and magnificence.

A composite sin
that
gives birth to numerous sins















The haughty is a lost person whose self has lost him. In his arrogance, he falls into many sins. Perhaps he does not feel that he is lost, and does not feel his sins, because of his pride. The Scripture says:
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov. 16:18).
What then is this destruction, and what is that fall to which he is exposed? We mention:
The opposition of God to him.
The proud may be exposed to the opposition of many people who are repelled by his haughtiness; for pride is a repelling sin. But what is much more difficult, is the opposition of God to him. As the apostle saint James said:
"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6).
Verily, how difficult is that, and how dangerous is that!! It is a terrifying matter that God resists any of His creatures....!! The reason is pride.
The first creature who resisted God, and whom God resisted, was Satan:
Satan wanted to be elevated above everybody, and to become like God (Isaiah 14:14). When he had fallen, he did not humble himself, he did not become mortified, but he persisted in his opposition, and he caused the fall of a group of angels from numerous ranks. They became his adepts who executed his plans with him in view of resistance to God.
Satan will still continues his opposition to God and to His kingdom, and his opposition to the sons of God...... until the time when he "will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth" (Rev. 20:7). He will attempt "to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matt. 24:24).
The most dangerous enemy in the last times, has been also called "the lawless one":
He is the Anti-Christ of whom the apostle said that he will be the cause of the general "falling away" that will precede the second coming of the Lord Christ, and he described him as "the man of sin ..... the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" ....... whose coming "is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish" (2 Thess. 2: 1-10).
Because of his pride, he will pretend divinity, like Satan his master. Because of his pride, he will be exalted and resistant, also like Satan. He will be deceived by the wonders and the miracles and power, like his master also.
Therfore God will resist him, and "will consume" him "with the breath of His mouth", and He will destroy him "with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thess. 2:8).
The Lord Christ had mercy upon the mortified sinners, while He resisted the proud.
He took the defence of the humiliated woman sinner who had been caught in the same act. He said to her: "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more" (John 8:11)...... while he opposed the proud scribes and pharisees who had forgotten their sins and wanted to stone that woman, and he said to them: "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first" (John 8:7).
The Lord was also gracious toward the mortified woman who washed His feet with her tears, while He reprimanded the proud pharisee who despised and condemned her.
The arrogance of that pharisee reached such a point that he doubted about the Lord Christ himself, glory be to Him. The pharisee said in his heart: "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner" (Luke 7:39). The Lord showed him then, that this woman was better than him, and that the two of them were debtors before God. But she repented, and that pharisee did not repent. Therefore she deserved forgiveness.
The Lord resisted the scribes and the pharisees because they were hypocrites and haughty.
He poured woes upon those who "love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces ........ and shut up the kingdom of heaven against men;" and neither go in themselves nor "allow those who are entering to go in" (Matt. 23: 6, 27, 13, 16, 19).
Beware then of being proud, lest God will resist you!!
Verily, how dangerous what has been said about this matter in the book of Isaiah:
"For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up, and it shall be brought low, upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan; upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up; upon every high tower, and upon every fortified wall; upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all the beautiful sloops. The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day" (Isaiah 2: 12:17).
If you fear that the Lord stands against you and opposes you, humble yourself, because He "gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6)....... What else is also there in pride?
The haughtiness of the spirit.
There is a certain pride in which man feels that he is great (=magnificence).
There is another pride which is comparative. One compares himself to another and feels that he is greater than him. This feeling would grow within himself, till he thinks that he is greater than everybody, and that he is better than them, and that he excels over them all!!
Pride is transferred to dealing, and then he looks at people from above!
He becomes arrogant towards them, and he speaks to them without respect, in an unsuitable haughty manner. He loses the good manners of address and the good manners of dealing with others. Perhaps they would be greater than himself in age, or in higher positions, but in his pride and his haughtiness, he does not respect anybody, and he does not manage the feelings of anybody! Did not the Scriptures say about the "man of sin" that "he opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God", what then would be his dealings with a human being?
But the humble respects everybody, even if they are smaller or less important than he is.
The humble deals respecfully, politely, and conveniently with everybody, even his subordinates and his disciples, and rather also with his servants.... He absolutely never attempts to hurt the feelings of any person, whatever mistaken or wrong in his actions he is.
In such a manner the Lord Christ, glory be to Him, spoke with the samaritan woman sinner, without hurting her feelings. He did not speak to her about repentance, purity and self-restraint, but he spoke to her about the living water and the worship of God in spirit and truth. (John 4).
As for the proud, his haughtiness leads him to another sin, that is:
Condemnation and slander.
While the proud has no respect, he speaks in an inconvenient manner, which includes slander and insults, hurting and hard expressions, as if others were without feelings or sense, in his eyes! In all this he forgets the words of the Scriptures:
"...... nor revilers......will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:10).
The apostle has placed those revilers among a list of the authors of horrible sins like extortioners, covetous, thieves, adulterers and idolaters.......! Perhaps the proud when he insults another, will not count that he has committed an horrible iniquity...... and would think that he has the right to insult or to condemn! Perhaps he would place his insults in the list of sacred jealousy and the desire to correct and teach!
His pride leads him to another thing that is self-justification.
Self-justification.
The proud is just in his own eyes. Perhaps he would be also wise in his own eyes, whereas the Bible says: "Do not be wise in your own eyes" (Prov. 3:7). The Bible has reprimanded that sort of people saying: "Answer a fool, lest he be wise in his own eyes" (Prov. 26:5). It is difficult for that kind of people to confess that they are wrong.
It is difficult, and perhaps impossible, for some people to confess that they have been wrong!!
even if the mistake is apparent, whether it is an opinion or an action....!
But the pride of the heart refuses to scratch the infallibility which the proud pretends to possess! Therefore he must defend his errors, resist, and attack him that ever shows him an error or a defect. He must by every means justify himself; and thus his pride leads him to contention.
Contention.
It is known as opposition. He wants to be triumphant in his discussion by any means! His desire of victory takes him far away from the truth, and centers him around the self.
The cause of contention in the proud is his insistance upon his opinion whatever it is!
People may be repelled by the style of the proud in his discussion and by his insistance upon his opinion, the thing that leads to no result other than the loss of time and the exertion of nerves. Therefore they run away from discussing with him, in order to safeguard their cordial peace and not to enter into a discussion with him...... and it may be that he talks to them or write to them, but they do not reply.
Therefore, contention and insistance upon his opinion, lead people to keep away from him.
Or that could lead him to keep proudly away from people. Solitude fatigues him and exhausts his nerves, and so he becomes more violent if he enters into a discussion.
If the discussion and the contention touches a theological or a doctrinal subject, the proud could fall into heresy or doctrinal divergence.
Heresy and doctrinal divergence.
All the heretics and the dissidents were without exception, proud and violent.
It is rare that one of them would have fallen into an heresy by ignorance; because the ignorant, if he is humble, accepts correction and accepts to change his opinion.
But the proud cannot. It is impossible for him to say that he has been wrong. Therfore he continues in his deviated thought, and he defends his thoughts, and attempts to find proofs for them, or to explain some verses of the Bible in favour of his opinions. By this, he is confirmed in his doctrinal errors which are transformed from errors into heresy because of his pride.
Pride may convince a person to bring something new which nobody has done before, or that the fathers have not written about it, even if it is not customary or not acceptable.
And so he falls into dissidence, for he brings something new. He admires himself because he has brought something new. Perhaps he would see in the new thing, a desirable matter, and attempts to publish it, expecting for himself renown and praise as an author of thoughts!!
His dissidence leads him "to think of himself more highly than he ought to think" (Rom. 12:3), and he speaks about things of which the Bible did not say anything frankly, or which the sayings of the fathers did not treat, or things that transcend our understanding....... and in his pride he is ashamed to say: "I do not know" ..... He declares his opinion, and tries to justify it. Perhaps he would lean on irreligious sources and does not say that this is only an opinion, or that it is simply his personal opinion.
In his pride, he attempts to present his personal opinion as being a doctrine!!
Or he considers that his opinion is the opinion and the doctrine of the Church! He would be astonished if somebody asked him: "What is the source upon which you have leaned?" thinking that he himself is the source upon whom others lean!
Verily, speaking about theological matters requires humility of heart and humility of thought.
The proud thinks that he understands more than others. He therefore does not accept correction from another, because who is it that knows more than him, in order to correct him?!
Thus an heretic like Arius, did not change his opinion according to the directions of the Pope Peter, the last of the martyrs, and did not accept the counsel of Pope Alexander, and did not submit to the great œcumenical council which was assembled by Pope Alexander and was attended by 318 bishops and archibishops who represented all the Churches of the world. He remained insisting upon his erring thoughts, not considering any bishop, or patriarch, or council!! That shows another sin which is stubbornness.
Stubbornness.
The proud is stubborn. The heretic also is stubborn. The dissident is stubborn.
If you meet a stubborn person, know that behind his stubbornness, there is pride; and if you find a heretic, know that among the causes of his heresy, there is pride and stubbornness.
Stubbornness enters into matters which are other than theology and doctrine. Anyway, it is a repelling temperament, like pride, its mother; and it leads to solitude and retreat.
Other results.
Pride has other results and many signs. I do not find that this article can include them. Among which there are vain glory, the love of praise and dignity, haughtiness, centering around the self, precedence over others........ and many other matters which need numerous articles. Let this be enough for the time being.