188. Pride
188. PRIDE
What is pride and why is it so bad?
The greatest sin in man is pride (II-II,162,6). Pride is the beginning of all sin (II-II,162,7). Man’s first sin was pride (II-II,163,1).
Gregory says: There are four marks by which every kind of pride of the arrogant betrays itself: either when they think that their good is from themselves, or if they believe it to be from above yet they think that it is due to their own merits, or when they boast of having what they have not, or despise others and wish to appear the exclusive possessors of what they have (II-II, 162,4).
All sins may arise from pride, in two ways. First . . . through other sins being directed to the end of pride which is one’s own excellence, to which end anything that is inordinately desired may be directed. Secondly . . . pride makes a man despise the divine law which hinders him from sinning. . . .
It must, however, be observed that this generic character of pride . . . does not imply that all vices originate from pride always. For though one may break the commandments of the Law by any kind of sin through contempt, which pertains to pride, yet one does not always break the divine commandments through contempt but sometimes through weakness. . . (II-II,162,2).
The root of pride is found to consist in man not being in some way subject to God and His rule. Now it is evident that not to be subject to God is of its very nature a mortal sin, for this consists in turning away from God; and consequently pride is, of its genus, a mortal sin.
Nevertheless just as in other sins which are mortal by their genus (for instance fornication and adultery) there are certain motions (of the soul) that are (only) venial by reason of their imperfection through forestalling the judgment of reason, and being without its (free) consent, so too in the matter of pride it happens that certain motions of pride are venial sins, when reason does not consent to them (II-II,162,5).
Pride is essentially an attitude toward God, not just toward oneself. “I will not serve”—that was Satan’s sin, and that is the pride that is in all sins: refusal to surrender and obey.
Pride is really very simple. It is the attitude of the spoiled brat: “I want what I want when I want it, and if you say No to me, I hate you.” “Thy will be done” is the essential prayer of the saint; “my will be done” is the essential demand of the sinner. C. S. Lewis says that “there are only two kinds of people, in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ ” By giving us free will, God says to all of us “Thy will be done,” but only some of us return to Him this compliment.
As bad as pride is, St. Thomas keeps his balance, and points out that (1) not all sins are explicitly sins of pride, some are sins of weakness; and that (2) not all pride is mortal sin, some is only venial, because sometimes there is not the full knowledge of the reason and the full consent of the will. There is a great difference between the freely willed “contempt” for God’s will and the struggled—against weakness of a divided will.
Yet even though it is often diluted, pride is always toxic.