Against Pride
March 8
(A Homily of Saint John Chrysostom on Pride)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
March 8
(A Homily of Saint John Chrysostom on Pride)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
Since pride blinds a person, since it deprives him of peace, since it is insatiable, and since, finally, it is hateful to God — then, without doubt, it is an evil. And if it is an evil, then it is clear that we must avoid it in every way and acquire humility. How can this be attained? It seems to us that the best way is precisely through reflection on the evil of pride. Such reflection, undoubtedly, must bring saving fruits, for it will show us the destructive consequences of pride and all the misfortunes that proceed from it. What kind of evil is this? And what destructive consequences can come from pride?
Saint Chrysostom says:
“As a garden that is not cleared of brushwood cannot grow, so also a proud man cannot be saved unless he conquers pride by humility and repentance. The soul of the proud strives for the heights, but instead of them it falls into the depth of hell. And as rotten fruit is unpleasant to the gardener, so also the prayer of the proud is unpleasant to God. The soul of the proud has no portion with God, but becomes a joy for the demons. Because of pride the angels also were cast down from heaven and became demons. Humble-mindedness raises a man to heaven and creates communion with the angels, but pride joins one with the demons. The prayer of the humble ascends to God, but the prayer of the proud provokes His anger. And as the weight of fruits breaks the branches, so pride destroys the soul, even a virtuous one. And as a tree that has no root soon falls, so the proud man soon descends into the abyss of hell.
And why do you exalt yourself, O man, when you are dust and ashes? And why, foolish one, do you intoxicate yourself with pride? If you are honored with a high rank, then have humility and do not abase anyone. Do not examine the sins of others, and on the day of Judgment you will be glorious. Do not leave the sorrowful one weeping, and your own supplications will not be despised.
Poor man! tell me, who created you? Was it the Lord? Why then do you not have fear of Him, but are proud and by self-exaltation destroy your soul? Why do you become puffed up when you are dust, into which you will soon again return? Why are you proud, when you will soon become food for worms? O man! Know your weakness and do not be proud; and since you are God’s creation, do not reject the One who created you.”
So then, do you see how much evil there is in pride? As you have just heard, it removes a person from salvation, casts him into the depth of hell, makes his prayer unpleasant to God, deprives him of a share with God, makes him a joy for the demons, unites him with them, and destroys the soul — even a virtuous one.
And if this is so, then it is clear that reflection on the evil of pride must, in one way or another, draw us away from it and perhaps even arouse in us an aversion to it. And oh, if only this would indeed happen with us in reality! How much peace and tranquility would then be established in our soul; how many pure, spiritual joys would humility — taking the place of pride — give us! How saving for us would be the imitation of the One Who humbled Himself even unto death, even death on the Cross, the Lord! Yes, all this would be for us a treasure that cannot be stolen, pure and holy.
Let us ask the Lord that by His all-powerful grace He would forever remove us from the destructive vice of pride, establish us in humility, and through it raise us up in due time (1 Pet. 5:6), on that great and radiant day. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
