Think for a moment of the many ways that pride attacks us: it manifests itself in vainglory, thinking we are better than others; it manifests itself in an inverted manner, causing us to doubt God, our identity and self-worth in Him. The list of prideful sins is longer than any of the other Seven Deadly Sins: Irreverence, sentimentality, presumption, distrust, over-sensitiveness, disobedience, impenitence, and only then, do we get to the familiar vanity, arrogance, and snobbery that everything thinks of when they think of pride.
For each of these categories of pride there are a great number of spiritual consequences in our lives, our relationship with God and with others. And so, we can see why St. John Cassian says of pride, that it is “a beast most savage, and fiercer than all the others.” (John Cassian, Selected Writings, St. Paisius Orthodox Women’s Monastery, 2000).
Ironically, the person plagued by pride may seem outwardly confident and in command, or, just the opposite, afraid of his or her own shadow.” The common denominator with pride, however, is the overt focus on self, ego, and a lack of confidence and understanding of one’s identity in Christ, and, as compared to Christ. You see, the prideful person is overtly concerned with appearance and is, therefore, insecure. This is true for the boastful as for the over-sensitive.
St. John goes on to say, “that there is no other vice which in this sort renders all the virtues of none effect, and so strips a man of every kind of justice and holiness as this disease of pride…with deadly ruin it does its best to cast down and slay in most terrible overthrow those who have already reached the heights of virtue.” For good reason, the Scriptures warn us, “Let him who thinks he stands, take heed, lest he fall.” (I Cor. 10:12)
Pride can manifest itself in our lives in fear too—fear of change in conforming ourselves to Christ and His way; fear of giving up resentments, pet ways of thinking, opinions not in keeping with the holiness of life that Christ calls us to in His desire to save us from what He calls, “this sinful and adulterous generation.”
One way or the other, we struggle with pride, but when pride gets a hold of us, it can be paralyzing—keeping us from progress in the life that Christ is and which, in His desire to save us, He calls us into through the Church as a beginning of our participation in His Kingdom.
Back to our quote, the actual saying from Proverbs 16:18 is more instructive: “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” Not only did pride cause the Fall; it caused mankind’s destruction—and it will destroy our individual lives as well, if left unhealed.
Christ God is humble. If we are to live with Him and participate in His life, we too must grow in and continue growing in humility. This means, we come out of our self-focus, our insecurities and fears, and we learn to trust God more with our identity, purpose, self worth—our present and our future. Through humility, we learn to say, “Thy will be done” and mean it!
In today’s Gospel, Christ gives us an example of such humility: the woman from Canaan who comes seeking healing for her daughter possessed by demons.
A couple things we need to know to be able to understand what is happening here: the Canaanites were bitter enemies of Israel. They were, throughout their history together, always threatening to destroy the Israelites—both spiritually and physically. For their own safety, the Law had forbid Jews from having dealings with Canaanites.
But here comes this woman, fearlessly calling after the Lord using a Jewish reference for the Messiah, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!” This is a woman of faith. She knows where healing is: with God. She finds Him despite the barriers between her people and His.
Jesus, for His part, does not answer her at first. We should not, however, interpret His silence and even His response that follows, as in any way suggesting that Christ does not have compassion for her. Rather, He seeks to draw out her faith as an example to all.
Christ eventually responds, reminding all those present that before His Passion and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, that He is sent first to minister healing to the House of Israel. The woman is undaunted: not because she is haughty, not because she thinks that she’s worthy or that God ‘owes’ her and that if she doesn’t get her way, then she’ll curse Him. No, she comes before Christ and worships Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” She does what we have so much difficulty in doing so much of the time, calling out to God in prayer, acknowledging her brokenness, her utter helplessness without God’s mercy.
Christ again puts her off, saying, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” Christ first reveals the woman’s faith. Then, He reveals her love, for nothing will dissuade her from seeking healing for her daughter from the Great Physician of our souls and bodies. Finally, Christ reveals her humility. Was the woman insulted as so many of us would be, from not being recognized as she should be (as so many of us would)? No, her response says it all: “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.”
She still calls Him, “Lord” and “Master.” Her focus is on God and on healing for her daughter. Christ then reminds us of His words elsewhere, “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:11). There are no barriers to those who trust in God, who humble themselves before Him, and, therefore, become like Him, uniting themselves further with Him through increased ability to participate in the life that His is.
Christ responds to the woman, saying, “great is your faith! Let is be to you as you desire.” And we read that her daughter was healed from that very hour.
I pray that we too through the work of the Holy Spirit will discover and confess all our pride, and all that hinders us from growth in this kind of faith, love, and humility that characterizes our Lord and all those who put their trust in Him. Whatever our struggle with pride, we too can call on Christ God to have mercy on us. We too can confess our unworthiness to Him—even if we make ourselves through our words and actions more like dogs than the beloved children we truly are. We too can throw ourselves at His feet, kneel and prostrate before Him daily, to ask of Him for the healing that you and I need. By humbling ourselves, denying ourselves, Christ will be the One who lifts us up, exalts us, and heals us so that we can participate freely in His Kingdom.
Fr. Robert Miclean
Holy Archangels Orthodox Church
10 February 2013
Epistle: I Tim. 1:15-17
Gospel: Matt. 15:21-28
