This Sunday is the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time. In today’s Gospel reading (Matthew 21:28-32), Our Blessed Lord calls the chief priests and elders of the people to task. He tells them, "What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' He said in reply, 'I will not, ' but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, ‘but did not go. Which of the two did his father's will?" They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him."
When one is sure of his/her own righteousness, it becomes nearly impossible to be open to the healing mercy of God. In short, if I don’t feel I need to be forgiven, I won’t ask for forgiveness. This damages not only our relationship with God, but with others as well. We also become blind to the work of God in our midst. Pride and presumption are deadly to the spiritual life.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “There are two kinds of presumption. Either man presumes upon his own capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high), or he presumes upon God's almighty power or his mercy (hoping to obtain his forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit) (CCC #2092).” It also teaches that, “Vices can be classified according to the virtues they oppose, or also be linked to the capital sins which Christian experience has distinguished, following St. John Cassian and St. Gregory the Great. They are called "capital" because they engender other sins, other vices.138 They are pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia (CCC #1866)”
“Pride is undue self-esteem or self-love, which seeks attention and honor and sets oneself in competition with God (CCC, p. 895).”
The answer to these pitfalls is true humility. Humility is the virtue by which a Christian acknowledges that God is the author of all that is good. Humility avoids unhealthy ambition or pride. It helps us turn to God in prayer and seek our Lord’s forgiveness. Humility liberates us from the need to “play God” and recognizes that God is God and I am not.
May God bless you and your loved ones.
Fr. Dan Redmond