“Puffed Up with Pride” by Colleen O’Sullivan
Memorial of Saint
Justin, Martyr
Rembrandt, Tobit and Anna with the Kid, 1626,
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons[i]
At that time, my wife Anna worked for hire at
weaving cloth, the kind of work women do. When she sent back the goods to
their owners, they would pay her. Late in winter on the seventh of
Dystrus, she
finished the cloth and sent it back to the owners. They paid
her the full salary and also gave her a young goat for the table. On
entering my house the goat began to bleat.
I called to my wife and said: “Where did this goat come from? Perhaps
it was stolen! Give it back to its owners; we have no right to eat stolen
food!” She said to me, “It was given to
me as a bonus over and above my wages.” Yet
I would not believe her and told her to give it back to its owners. I became very angry with her over this.
So she retorted: “Where are your charitable deeds now? Where are your virtuous acts? See! Your
true character is finally showing itself!” (Tobit 2:11-14)
Coin from reign of Caesar Augustus
Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him. (Mark 12:17)
Piety
“… if a thought or a desire leads you on the
road of humility, of
self-abasement and of service
to others, it is of Jesus; but if it leads
you on the road of self-importance, of vanity and of pride, or on the road of abstract thought, it is not of Jesus.”
- Pope Francis’ Homily at Mass on January 7, 2014 based on 1 John 3:22-4:6
Study
Tobit, the main character in today’s first reading, has had a freak accident. Sleeping next to the courtyard wall, he didn’t notice a bird’s nest directly over where he made his bed. While he was lying there, bird droppings fell from the nest into his eyes, resulting in blindness. Now he can no longer work. He has gone from being a well-paid court official to being totally dependent on his wife’s earnings from her “woman’s work.” One day she comes home after delivering the cloth she has woven. Besides her wages, her employer has given her a goat so she and Tobit would have meat to put on the table.
The ensuing conversation/fighting match struck me funny at first. Far from being grateful for his wife’s boss’ generosity, he doesn’t believe her and says she should take it back.
Then it’s his wife’s turn to vent her irritation with Tobit’s nonsense. You talk a good line, but where is your charity now? What about Tobit’s past virtuous acts? Were they not sincere? Your true self is showing, she shouts.
It’s not so funny, however, when we realize that this story illustrates the excessive pride you and I often take in our own accomplishments as well as our embarrassment and unwillingness to let others help us when we need help. We don’t want our friends to see us in our moment of weakness. It’s evidently okay for Tobit to have been charitable to others when he stood upright and proud before his neighbors, but on this occasion when help should have been welcome, he allows his pride to get the better of him and resents the gift of the animal and even suggests that perhaps his wife might have stolen it!
Pride has been referred to as the worst of the Seven Deadly Sins. Pride leads us to put more stock in our own abilities than in the grace of God. Pride tricks us into believing that we are running our own show without any need for divine assistance. Live long enough and we’ll all be in Tobit’s position at some point, helpless and angry because we’ve been exposed as mere, needy mortals.
As I pondered today’s Gospel reading, I thought how weary Jesus must have been of all the attempts to catch him doing or saying something for which he could be arrested. Here the Pharisees join forces with representatives of Herod’s government. They make a blatant attempt to trick Jesus into picking his Father over the Roman government. First, they flatter him. Jesus, you are honest. You aren’t afraid of anyone. You don’t let anyone’s status impress you. You are only concerned with God’s ways. So, tell us, is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar? Jesus is a threat to their pride of place in the community and their authority over the people.
Jesus doesn’t get snared by their trickiness. “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” is his answer. Be a good citizen of your country and, at the same time, be a loyal disciple of the Lord. These words contain nothing with which to find fault.
Action
False pride
is something we all have to contend with at one time or another. It’s so easy to pat ourselves on the back and
take way too much credit for the things that go right in our lives. The best weapon against that kind of pride is
to feel overwhelming gratitude for all the good gifts we receive from God. Have you ever been in Tobit’s position where
illness or any other catastrophe has cut you down to size and made a mockery of
your pride in yourself? Spend some time
in prayer today thanking God for all God’s gifts to you. You’ll discover there’s no room for false pride
when we are truly grateful for God’s goodness toward us.
No comments:
Post a Comment