“An arrogant man yearns for authority; he cannot, or rather, does not wish to perish utterly.“ In many ways, this one saying sums up our reflection this evening. When pride takes hold of an individual soul, one begins to move further and further away from God. Rather than “perish utterly” - that is, die to self and sin - one drives God from the mind and heart.

The capacity to love diminishes, the desire to humiliate others increases, and, finally, our perception of reality is distorted beyond measure. It is for this reason that Saint John entitles this step “On Mad Pride“. The more that we turn away from He who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, the more that we turn away from He who is Meaning, the more we lose touch with reality. We become like the one who fell from heaven, the father of lies. We are drawn into the same darkness and inability to see not only the truth about our souls but also to see the depths of God’s love and compassion.

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Text of chat during the group:

00:02:44 FrDavid Abernethy: page 170 para number 2 00:15:21 TFredman: Have you heard from Ren? How is she doing? 00:16:21 Lee Graham: You will be greatly missed next week, you will be in my prayers. 00:43:33 David Swiderski: John mentions Gluttony is the prince of passions but also places Pride as a key passion are they both keys of all the passions? Is one more principal. 01:05:04 Louise: Therefore, how to understand one's desire to become competent, as competent as can be, to do things right? 01:14:05 Louise: So to become competent for Christ, to serve Christ in this world. 01:16:27 Victor: Thanks! 01:18:02 Cindy Moran: Thank you Father...will be praying... 01:18:13 Louise: Thanks, Fr. Abernethy! 01:18:13 Jeff O.: Thank you!! 01:18:18 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂Have a good retreat

The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Chapter XXIII: On Pride, Part II