“You should be proud of yourself!”
How often did you hear that growing up? How often do we hear that in our culture now? It comes up often when we are talking about accomplishments for educational milestones, mental health, work hustle, self-care, etc.
“You can do better/you are falling behind!”
How often do you hear that phrase in your own head? Or from all the social media accounts with all opinions and tactics shown in videos on the best way to help your kids learn, help you lose weight, excel at work, have a social life or have a clean house?
Each affects our pride.
Let’s talk about pride.
As a Catholic, pride is considered a sin, because it pulls us further away from God, making us feel like we can handle everything going on in our life for ourselves, without the assistance from God. Our egos get in the way, and make life centered around ourselves and our wants, rather than focusing on God and His will.
But is ALL pride sinful?
Made in Image and Likeness
“God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27
We are made in the image and likeness of God. We are His beautiful creations.
“God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good.”
Genesis 1:31
We can be proud of being His children. And as His children created in His image and likeness, we can be proud of goals that we accomplish in our life, our family, our faith, as long as humility is the foundation of that pride. Or in other words, we should recognize that we would be nothing without God.
As parents, we can also be proud of our family, while giving thanks to God for the gift of our spouses and children. As proud children of our Heavenly Father, we show our thanks to Him by raising our children in the faith, creating our own domestic churches to give our children back to God.
God is Intentional
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.”
Jeremiah 1:5
God knew each one of us before we were even born. We were created intentionally and purposefully by Him.
“Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.”
Luke 12:7
God does not make mistakes; humans can falter and sin, but God is intentional. He made you because He wanted you, and knew that the world needed you.
“You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know. My bones are not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned from the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me unformed; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.”
Psalm 139: 13-16
Humility and Pride Together
Humility and pride work together; we are proud to be called God’s children, because we recognize the goodness of our Heavenly Father. We can be proud of accomplishments in life as long as we are doing them for God and His glory, not our own. We were given our talents from God, and therefore, any accomplishment we achieve from them is because of God.
Part of being a child of God is having the humility to go to our Heavenly Father to ask for help when we need it.
When we are struggling, He is there with us waiting for us to realize that we need to ask for His help, even if the help we are expecting is different than what He gives us.
(Example: think of help coming in the form of a neighbor offering assistance for childcare, a meal, toys/clothes, etc. instead of the bonus paycheck you were praying for).
As children of God, we should have the humility to turn to Him throughout our day to praise Him, thank Him, ask for help, and just to talk, like our own children do with us.
Humility Among the Saints
Our goal in our faith is to humble ourselves completely. What I mean by this is emptying out all that keeps us from God, so that only God remains. Now, we are all human in nature and live with sin. But humility is what brings us close to this state of union with God, so that upon our death, we will have that reunion with Him.
Have you ever noticed that a lot of the saints had similar lives? It is something that Al McCauley pointed out to me during our interview. Similar stories among many individuals who never even met each other, or lived in the same time or place. We read stories of saints who were martyrs, who gave up their lives to save another, served others in poor conditions, mystics who relayed God’s messages, etc.
I have been reflecting on how lots of the saints can have such similar stories and lives, and it occurred to me that the reason for their similarities is because of how each of them opened up their hearts to God. Each were proud of their faith and proclaimed God’s love to the world whether with their words, actions, or choices they made. Yet, they all had humility; they emptied themselves of worldly desires, and replaced them with God so that we get glimpses of Him through their lives. That familiarity among the saints is like the bible verse,
“I am vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
John 15: 5
This passage once again reminds us that as Catholics, we are all connected to God. We are One Holy Apostolic Church. We are a community of faithful servants who retain life by keeping our relationship with God alive. The saints resurrected Jesus through their virtuous lives and allowed their branches to thrive from the vine, because they gave all to Jesus while allowing Him to take control. In this way, we are able to see Jesus and are exposed to Him on earth not only from the Eucharist, but also through the actions and lives of the saints.
Be Proud
Be proud to be a child of God! Be proud of who He made you to be, the gifts and talents he blessed you with, etc. Be so proud that you spread your faith and love of God to others! But make sure this pride is founded on humility; thank God for the gift of your life, and ask for guidance so that you can live it out the way He has planned for you.
Not sure if that pride is the good kind or the sinful kind? Ask yourself this question: “Is this bringing me closer to God, or further away from Him? Am I making this about myself, my comfort, my wants, my desires? Or am I using the talents God gave me for good, by helping others, spreading His love, serving Him through my family, etc.?
Am I living a saintly life connected to the vine? Or am I trying to sprout my own branch?
