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"Pride
goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It
is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor than to divide
the spoil with the proud." [Proverbs 16:18-19]
Those
words from the book of Proverbs have become a familiar maxim, used
to bring others down a peg or two.
I've
been fortunate enough to see peacocks in their native environment
in the Indian countryside. But do you know what you call a group
of peacocks?
They
are known as an 'ostentation'!
They
seem to us to be such proud birds, even to the point of showing
off. And I'm sure we have thought of peacocks when we see our colleagues
or neighbours strutting around in similar fashion.
The
pride that only sees its own achievements or gifts or looks, to
the detriment of others, is the kind that Proverbs warns us about.
For
example, it would be easy for me to claim this Lent series on the
Seven Deadly Sins was entirely my own idea and take all the credit.
But the fact that I acknowledge the inspiration of my friends, Jill
and Nick, helps me to avoid the sin of pride.
There
is also the sin of false humility, however, where individuals do
not properly acknowledge or even use the gifts they have been given
by God. To deny one's own giftedness is to speak of a stingy God
who is neither generous nor loving toward his children.
So
is there a middle way, a proper sense of pride and hence of humility?
Rosa
Parks was one of those women you would pass on the street without
a second thought. She wasn't an activist or a troublemaker. Yet
her actions symbolised the beginning of a revolution. All she did
was sit on a bus.
The
trouble was, Rosa was black and the seat she occupied was reserved
for whites. All this in the segregated state of Alabama. Her simple
protest inspired Dr Martin Luther King to lead the civil rights
movement which led to desegregation. When Rosa Parks was asked why
she did it, she replied:
"Racial
pride and self-dignity were emphasised in my family and community."
When
the state told black people that they were second class at best,
subnormal at worst, that pride of race was essential in maintaining
a proper sense of self."
And
humility told Rosa and other African-Americans that whilst they
were no worse than their white brothers and sisters, they were also
no better.
It
is said that the sin of pride is the root of all the other deadly
sins. You can see why. Pride is seductive because it whispers in
our ear: 'You are better than the rest'.
That
can lead so easily to our forgetting about others and seeking our
own satisfaction. But I hope that our Lenten journey has revealed
two wonderful and equal truths:
'You are truly and completely loved by God.'
and 'So is everyone else.'
I hope
you have a wonderful Easter.
Rev
Sam McBratney
Week one: wilderness
Week two: sloth
Week three: envy
Week four: anger
Week five: greed
and lust
Week six: pride
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