Hands

In viewing the Google images side by side, the images of hands from each Google search struck me. 

The hands pictured on the humility page are open as to receive, yet dirty from work or maybe farming and bringing forth life from the earth.

The pride hands are in a stop position. Not open to receive like humility hands, but more like pushing away.

Google Images "Pride" and "Humility"

A side by side look at the images in Google:

Can self-esteem and humility coexist?

My son, with humility have self-esteem;

and give yourself the esteem you deserve. Sirach 10:28

This biblical text reminds me of the Webster-Merriam definition posted a few days ago, and is instructing to have rightly placed self-esteem. Again, it seems that this text points to not having false humility and acting as if we are unworthy. 

Instead, acknowledging our gifts and talents, along with their true source is humility. And fully grounded in reality, we must use these gifts and talents to become what we were created to be.

I heard as an example the other day: Shaquille O'Neal could not have  been a race horse jockey. But in acknowledging and cooperating with his true gifts and talents he excelled at basketball and was inducted into the hall of fame this year.

Humility is not pretending that we don't have gifts or that are gifts don't matter and rightly placed self-esteem is healthy. They can coexist if we are grounded in reality.

For Reflection, Sirach 10:6-31

THE SIN OF PRIDE

6No matter what the wrong, never harm your neighbor

or go the way of arrogance.^d

7Odious to the Lord and to mortals is pride,

and for both oppression is a crime.

8Sovereignty is transferred from one people to another

because of the lawlessness of the proud.

9Why are dust and ashes proud?^*

Even during life the body decays.

10A slight illness—the doctor jests;

a king today—tomorrow he is dead.

11When a people die,

they inherit corruption and worms, gnats and maggots.^e

12The beginning of pride is stubbornness

in withdrawing the heart from one’s Maker.

13For sin is a reservoir of insolence,

a source which runs over with vice;

Because of it God sends unheard-of afflictions

and strikes people with utter ruin.^f

14God overturns the thrones of the proud

and enthrones the lowly in their place.

15God plucks up the roots of the proud,

and plants the lowly in their place.

16The Lord lays waste the lands of the nations,

and destroys them to the very foundations of the earth.

17He removes them from the earth, destroying them,

erasing their memory from the world.

18Insolence does not befit mortals,

nor impudent anger those born of women.

TRUE GLORY^*

19Whose offspring can be honorable? Human offspring.

Those who fear the LORD are honorable offspring.

Whose offspring can be disgraceful? Human offspring.

Those who transgress the commandment are disgraceful offspring.

20Among relatives their leader is honored;

but whoever fears God is honored among God’s people.^†

22Resident alien, stranger, foreigner, pauper—

their glory is the fear of the LORD.

23It is not right to despise anyone wise but poor,

nor proper to honor the lawless.^g

24The prince, the ruler, the judge are in honor;

but none is greater than the one who fears God.

25When the free serve a wise slave,

the wise will not complain.^h

26Do not flaunt your wisdom in managing your affairs,

or boast in your time of need.

27Better the worker who has goods in plenty

than the boaster who has no food.ⁱ

28My son, with humility have self-esteem;

and give yourself the esteem you deserve.

29Who will acquit those who condemn themselves?

Who will honor those who disgrace themselves?

30The poor are honored for their wisdom;

the rich are honored for their wealth.

31Honored in poverty, how much more so in wealth!

Disgraced in wealth, in poverty how much the more!

http://www.usccb.org/bible/sirach/10

Definitions: Pride and Humility

What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church say about pride and humility?

PRIDE: One of the seven capital sins. Pride is undue self-esteem or self-love, which seeks attention and honor and sets oneself in competition with God (1866)

HUMILITY: The virtue by which a Christian acknowledges God is the author of all good. Humility avoids inordinate ambition or pride and provides a foundation for turning to God in prayer (2559).

http://ccc.usccb.org/flipbooks/catechism/index.html#1/z

Merriam Webster defines PRIDE as an inordinate self-esteem and also a feeling that you are more important or better than other people. M-W defines HUMBLE as not proud or haughty and showing that you do not think of yourself as better than other people. (there are other definitions but these are the ones relevant to this study) http://www.merriam-webster.com/

When we discuss pride in our modern culture as a virtue, I think we are most commonly talking about  correctly ordered pride. For example: I'm proud of a job well-done. I'm proud of my child's achievement. I'm proud of my parent's perseverance through illness. Pride doesn't sound like a deadly sin in these contexts - it seems correct and natural.

So when do we cross the line from correctly placed to disordered pride? That's what this study is about - exploring those lines more carefully.

Angels and Demons

In the beginning, before God created man He created pure spirits - we call them angels. These creatures are so powerful, so awesome, that every time they come to man in a biblical reading man is terrified. Like us, these creatures have free will, freedom of choice.

Catholic tradition holds that Lucifer, the angel of light, rejected God's plan for man. Lucifer in his pride would not humble himself to serve this God-man, Jesus. A great battle of wills and loyalty ensued among the angels and they chose sides. Lucifer became Satan, the father of lies and pride determined to thwart God's plan for man.

Could it be this former "angel of light" knows how to convince us as he convinced a third of the angels that God has a bad plan for us?

Could it be that we have been deceived and what we celebrate as good (pride as a virtue) could actually be separating us from the great plan for our life both now and eternally?

Excerpts from "Sons of Light" by Mother M. Angelica is worth reading and considering this root of pride.  https://www.ewtn.com/library/mother/ma45e.htm

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

Paradise Lost

Let's start at the very beginning...

Paradise Lost by John Milton
"Had cast him out from Heav'n with all his host
Of Rebel Angels, by whose aid aspiring
To set himself in Glory above his Peers,
He trusted to have equal'd the most High,
If he oppos'd; and with ambitious aim
Against the Throne and Monarchy of God
Rais'd impious War in Heav'n and Battel proud"

"round he throws his baleful eyes
that witness'd huge affliction and dismay
Mixt with obdurate pride and steadfast hate"

http://www.paradiselost.org/

Amateur Philosopher

Human beings are separated from all other beings because of our desire to know why. This blog is my explorations of why and the search for truth.

My latest wonderings are around the celebration of "PRIDE" and the meaning of humanity waving this flag. My wonderings are much deeper than sex and sexual orientation.

I'm exploring how pride as a "virtue" effect our relationships both with God and with each other. As a Catholic Christian, I will be exploring this from a largely Judeo-Christian perspective based on tradition, biblical texts and ideas from other thinkers I respect and who make sense to me.

I suppose I have something to learn for myself about humility and pride. Ideas also a bit troubling and perplexing to my little brain.