Tag: pride

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Prideful Sin

shadowed picture of a man's eye

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Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass Readings

First Reading: Jeremiah 20:7-9
Responsorial: Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
Second Reading: Romans 12:1-2
Gospel: Matthew 16:21-27

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083020.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus say, “If anyone wants to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Let’s consider what this means for us through the lens Peter’s comments and Jesus’ reaction? Peter has had a rough month! Earlier this month, Jesus tells him, “You man of little faith” (Matthew 14:31). Last week, we heard Jesus proclaim, “You are Rock and on this Rock I shall build my Church and that gates of hell shall not triumph over it” (Matthew 16:18). And today He says, “Get behind Me, Satan” (Matthew 16:23). What is going on with Peter, and why are we asked to consider him?

On one level, we can’t help but to be amused at Peter’s foibles. We might shake our heads and think to ourselves, “poor Peter.” But I think there’s more going on here for us. We’re called to reflect prayerfully on Scripture to see if it has an impact on the way we live our lives as Christians. We call this prayerful reflection, “contemplation.”

As we contemplate Peter, what’s going on here? Well, I think that Peter, like the Jews of his time, had an idea about the Messiah. For many, it was about the hope for a restoration of David’s kingdom and expelling the Roman occupiers. So, on one level, that’s operating in Peter’s mind. But surely Peter has been thinking a lot about Jesus and in particular all the miracles and strange things he had seen, like when we heard from the Gospel when Elijah and Moses appeared alongside Jesus (Matthew 17:3). Maybe Peter had an idea that the Messiah would not only lead a kingdom on earth but also a heavenly kingdom.

But today, when he hears Jesus talk and say that he must suffer and die (Matthew 16:21), Peter can’t handle it. It doesn’t reconcile with anything he’s been thinking. None of it made sense to him. It almost shatters his ideas of the Messiah so much so that he pulled Jesus aside to scold him. It’s easy for us to look back on what Peter has done with some humor. Peter is telling God in Jesus that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. What does that tell you? I think it suggests that Peter had some pride in his thoughts. He knew better.

Now pride is an uber sin. As C.S. Lewis wrote, “Well, now, we have come to the centre. According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind” (Lewis, 121).

Ok, pride is one thing, but why does Jesus call Peter “Satan?” Well, what is Lucifer’s greatest power? Contrary to Saturday Night Live, Satan can’t make us do anything. His greatest power is planting seeds of fear and doubt. For Lucifer to triumph, he needs us to freely turn our back on what’s right and do what is wrong. So, he plants seeds of fear and doubt, which might cause a line of thoughts that, in turn, might cause us to act.

When Jesus calls Peter “Satan,” he is saying that Peter is acting like Lucifer. Peter is unwittingly trying to plant seeds of doubt in Jesus’ head – that Jesus is mistaken about God’s will, and he should change course. Jesus recognizes what Peter is trying to do, and he immediately silences Peter.

Ok, what is the implication for us in the way we live our lives? How many times have we heard Catholic preachers talk about sin and brokenness and the need for reconciliation? Yet, the confessionals seem relatively empty except perhaps during Advent and Lent. Maybe when we hear a priest or deacon talk about sin, we nod our heads in agreement, and in our minds agree that there sure are a lot of people in church who need to go to confession. We might look at the people around us and think to ourselves, “Yep, I think that guy over there is having an affair. And the woman who read the readings takes marijuana.”

It’s easy to judge those around us, but me – I am not doing anything wrong, at least nothing that requires receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I think a lot of us, perhaps, more of us than we realize, suffer some form of pride of thought. We convince ourselves that what we’re doing isn’t sin even if the Church says otherwise. We tell ourselves, “The Church is wrong.” Forget the fact that the church has been prayerfully studying Scripture and these sorts of issues for 2000 years. Forget that the Church has experts who devote all of their professional lives to theology. They are wrong, and I am right. Peter’s sin should make us all feel a little uncomfortable.

What’s worse is when we share our ideas that we don’t think what the Church teaches about something is a sin. In that way, like Peter, we are spreading seeds of doubt. As those seeds take root, people might begin to accept the way we rationalized what is and isn’t sin and agree that the Church can’t possibly be right.

We act like Peter when we place prideful value in our own logic than in the Church’s teachings, and when we share those poisoned seeds with other people. So, the cross we need to carry may very well be our own pride – a pride that needs to be crucified for our redemption. To help us prayerfully reflect on how Scripture is trying to shape the way we Christians live our lives, we need a little homework!

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions this week:

  1. Peter had trouble accepting that Jesus had to suffer. How can I grow in gratitude for Jesus’ suffering?
  2. When do I place my thoughts above Christ’s teachings through His Church?

I think doing our homework today will help us as we carry our crosses and help us be better disciples of Christ Jesus. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Artist unknown. No Title. JPEG file.

References:
1. Hahn, Scott W. and Curtis Mitch. Romans. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2017. Kindle.
2. Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. [Place of publication not identified]: HarperCollins e-Books, 2009. Kindle.
3. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.
4. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Knowledge of Christ, 417-74
2. Suffering Messiah, 440, 607
3. The Cross as the way to Christ’s glory, 555, 1460, 2100
4. Redemptive suffering, 618
5. The Second coming of Christ, 671
6. Christ the Judge, 678-79
7. Common priesthood of believers, 1141, 1546
8. Moral life as spiritual worship, 2031
9. Way to perfection by the way of the Cross, 2015
10. Carrying our cross in daily life, 2427
11. Discerning God’s will, 2520, 2826

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083020.cfm
Lectionary: 124

Reading 1
Jeremiah 20:7-9
You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;
you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.
All the day I am an object of laughter;
everyone mocks me.

Whenever I speak, I must cry out,
violence and outrage is my message;
the word of the LORD has brought me
derision and reproach all the day.

I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

Responsorial
Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Reading 2
Romans 12:1-2
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Alleluia
See Ephesians 1:17-18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 16:21-27
Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
He turned and said to Peter,
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”

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The Sin of Pride

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The Sin of Pride

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass Readings

First Reading: Amos 6:1A, 4-7
Responsorial: Psalm 146:7-10
Second Reading: 1 Timothy 6:11-16
Gospel: Luke 16:19-31

In today’s Gospel, we hear the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Very often we look at this parable only from the perspective of renouncing greed and treating the poor with justice. Indeed, in our first reading from Amos, we hear a curse against the wealthy who are complacent and stuff themselves while starving spiritually (Amos 6:19-26). Just to be clear, this is not a parable against wealth. St. Thomas Aquinas says that we have the right to ownership, through our hard work or through inheritance. But he goes on to say that we must always be concerned for the common good before our ourselves. So, while this is an important dimension of the today’s readings, there’s something more going on here.

Before we get to that, let’s review. This parable and the parables we’ve heard over the past weeks have been taking place on Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. Some of the lessons were put to the disciples; others to the crowds following Jesus; and still others for Pharisees and other religious leaders. Now between last week’s readings and this week is bridge, Luke 16:14-18. Unfortunately, we don’t hear that proclaimed. The Gospel says, “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him. And he said to them, ‘You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.’”

Then, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. This image would not have been unknown to the crowd. Lazarus who was lying at the rich man’s door because he was lamed or crippled and covered in sores is reminiscent of Deuteronomy 28:35. The dogs that licked Lazarus’ wounds, which added insult to injury, is similar to we find in 1 Kings 21:19 and 23; and Psalm 22:17.

When death comes, there is a reversal in situations. Lazarus was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man was sent to the netherworld which is interpreted as Hades or Sheol. Now this is a complete rejection of the prosperity Gospel. There are some who falsely preach that wealth and success are signs of God’s blessings. This suggests that poverty is a sign of God’s disfavor. Yet, in today’s Gospel it is the poor man who is rewarded in the afterlife and not the rich man.

The rich man calls out to “Father Abraham,” but remember that John the Baptist has already warned that it was not sufficient to say, “We have Abraham as our father,” (Luke 3:8), since you also had to “produce good fruits as evidence of … repentance.” So, having missed the opportunity to repent, the rich man is being tormented.

He begs that he be allowed to warn his five brothers, but Abraham says that they have Moses and the prophets, if they would just listen. Jesus, for example, has repeatedly emphasized the importance of listening to the Word of God, for example Luke 8:21; and Luke 11:28.

He makes one last plea asking that Lazarus be raised from the dead and sent to warn his brothers in person. Abraham again denies his request. If they aren’t convinced by Moses or the prophets, then they won’t be convinced by someone coming back from the dead.

Of course, the idea is that if the Pharisees who know and understand the Law, who understand the tradition from Abraham to their time, who don’t live the spirt of the Law, who don’t understand that they need repentance, then clearly, they will be blind to the Messiah in their midst – even at his resurrection. Why is that? This is the point I alluded to earlier. The Pharisees are blinded by their pride which gives them an inflated sense of their worth even over and against their claims of faith in God!

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis writes, “Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”

Today’s parable about the rich man and Lazarus is meant to reach out the Pharisees then and today – those who are so consumed by their position in life – like their status and their wealth – that they can’t recognize God in their presence. Where do we find God today? Jesus tells us whatever you do to the least of these, you do unto me. Pride blinds us to God’s spark in everyone – what we refer to as human dignity rooted in being created in the image and likeness of God. Jesus challenges us to snap out of it! And that leads us to our homework today.

Homework! After being nourished by the Word of God proclaimed and by the Eucharist, I encourage you to consider one thing this week:

  1. Reflecting on today’s Gospel, if you were the rich person who ended up below, and God gave you the chance to write a letter to your family and friends so they wouldn’t end up like you, what would you write? What would you tell them? Maybe it would be helpful to actually write out a letter.

I think by doing our homework this week, we might recognize the sin of pride which often goes unrecognized in our own lives – recognize it, go to confession, and deal with it. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!

Notes:
<1> The Gospel of Luke by Pablo T. Gadenz, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, Baker Academic (2018).
<2> C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

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The Woman Caught in Adultery

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Fifth Sunday of Lent Readings
First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm: Psalm 126: 1-6
Second Reading: Philippians 3:8-14
Gospel: John 8:1-11

In today’s gospel we hear that familiar story about the woman caught in adultery. They bring her to Jesus while he is in the temple and they demand to know what he thinks should be done with her. Like we briefly discussed last week, today’s Gospel presents a couple of the big kahuna of sins, like adultery. In the language of the Church, we call these mortal sins. Brief side note, why are they called mortal sins? They are mortal sins because they can destroy our relationship with the Lord and His community, like adultery, a mortal sin can shatter a family.

In 1 John 5:16-17, for example, we learn the distinction between sins. John says all sin is bad, but there are some sins that are deadly. Smaller sins or what we Catholics call venial sins wound our relationship with the Lord. Mortal sins ruin or can kill our relationship with God and with His community. To be a mortal sin, the sin must be a grave matter, aka a big kahuna sin. Second, I have to know that it’s a serious sin. Sin is not an accident. Finally, I need to freely chose to do it even though I know it’s a sin. Those are the three characteristics of mortal sins. I have a few links at the bottom of notes that give more information about sins including the Catechism of the Catholic Church and a couple of excellent YouTube videos.

Ok, back to our Gospel today. As usual, there are so many things going on – there is so much texture in this reading alone, not to mention the other two readings and the psalm, that it’s difficult to know where to begin and how much to discuss. So, think about today’s Gospel, let’s start with this: it’s a trap!

The scribes and Pharisees tried to trap Jesus. On one hand, if he in any way refutes the Law, then they could accuse him in front of the Jews as lacking authenticity. How can he be a prophet let alone the Messiah if rejects the Law of Moses – to Law of God? On the other hand, if he affirms the Law and says that indeed, she should be stoned to death, then they can hand him over to the Romans and accuse him of trying to undermine Roman authority by advocating vigilante law. You see, it was against Roman law to kill another person.

Jesus doesn’t buy it.

Instead, he squats down and begins to write in the dirt. Wouldn’t you like to have been a fly on the wall to see what he was doing? Was he just doodling? Or was he writing something? Or was he drawing images that correspond to sins? We don’t know. But instead of falling into the trap, he brilliantly says, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” According to the Gospel, what happens next is that one by one, the crowd starts to dissolve. Then later, he asks her, “‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She replied, ‘No one, sir.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.’”

Now, does this mean that adultery isn’t that big a deal? No, I don’t think that’s what Jesus is saying at all. I think what he is trying to illustrate is that there is another mortal sin going on – the sin of pride. Now pride is said to be the first and most deadly of all sin. Why? Pride as a sin is the irrational belief that you are better than, superior to and more important than others. C.S. Lewis tells us that, “…it was through pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice…” (Mere Christianity, 121). So, perhaps Jesus is teaching us we can’t sin to expose sin. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

But Jesus doesn’t let the woman off the hook. First, he demonstrates God’s mercy by saying he doesn’t condemn her. If she is repentant, then she will be spared. But, he tells her to sin no more. Now this is what repentance is all about. The goal is not just to admit to ourselves, to our family and friends, and to God that we sinned. We need to try not to repeat the same sin.

That’s the point of the Catholic understanding of reconciliation. First, we go to confession to say our sins. Why? Because there is something powerful about admitting out loud that we did something wrong. We take ownership of what we did wrong. Second, we make amends, which is to say we try to make it up to God, our families and our friends. Third, and this is key, we commit to try not to repeat the same sin.

The great lure of sin is that it traps us in a never-ending cycle of sin. How many of find that we keep repeating the same sins over and over and over again? So, the goal of reconciliation is to try to commit to sin no more. Lent is wonderful time to come to terms with the things we’ve done wrong in our lives that have damaged our relationship with God, or family and our friends. In the Catholic tradition, this is an excellent time to experience the Sacrament of Reconciliation and experience the grace of God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Homework! Reflecting on the Gospel today, I encourage you to consider the following two questions in this week as we make our way to Palm Sunday:

  1. Have you ever experienced the feeling that were so right and someone else was so wrong that it didn’t matter to you what you did to prove it? What does today’s Gospel tell us about that?
  2. When was the last time you experienced the healing grace of God’s mercy and forgiveness? Maybe it’s time to go to Reconciliation.

I hope that doing our homework this week will help us take the focus off ourselves and open us to God’s mercy and love. May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!

Resources:
• Catechism of the Catholic Church 1846-1876 on sin
• Bishop Robert Barron: “Seven Deadly Sins; Seven Lively Virtues”
• Fr. Mike Schmitz: “Mortal vs. Venial Sin”