Why is Pride so Deadly?

Why is Pride so Deadly?

The CCC elaborates pride among the other deadly sins as being termed as capital since they engender other sins.  (CCC 1866).  Look at how an engendering sin can have an effect on a grievous sin.  It can be compared to pornography leading to the sin of sexual abuse which has established itself as one of the most degrading and hurtful events that has destroyed the emotional lives of too many young men.  Pride in itself becomes a point of placing oneself ahead of God because he is a jealous God creating us to love him first.  

Take the issue of a creator of any craft who would take pride in their accomplishment and put their professional touch to the ownership of this masterpiece?  After all, sometimes the many hours of labor and at times do-overs make a prized work become the treasure of the craftsman.   

This is what God did when establishing a work called humanity.  This creation has become the ultimate joy and pride that the Trinity created to solely learn to understand the very essence of a loving and forgiving God.  This pride that God retains is good since it is comparable to a master craftsman establishing himself without placing his work beyond anyone else.

It is when we as finite persons take the initiative to claim what we create as our work alone.  Then, once the world sees our work we can stand behind it and boast that we alone are responsible for its beauty.  Suddenly all who look upon its attraction will see in us a master craftsman who no longer needs God since we are greater than him.  Seems a bit erroneous but that is what has been happening across the globe, since time began.

Man has taken his God-given talents and established superior results making our own name known throughout the land.  Have you noticed how many self-imposed entrepreneurs have collapsed after all their efforts?  They discovered after their fall from grace how small they were in the eyes of God.   This is what occurs when we allow pride to stand before us like blinders hiding the alternative to humility.  Our envy of God's supreme ability can only accomplish failure in all we attempt to accomplish.  Pride becomes so deadly when we believe we can equal or even become better than God.  Satan is the one example no one should want to emulate, but there are many who daily are doing just that. 

Our talents should be an image of God’s graciousness when he handed to us something that will assist in building his kingdom here on earth.  When our name becomes the drawing entity to bring people to hear us, read our work, or view our handi-work, without bringing the attention to God and his grace received from it, then this Pride can become deadly for us, by neglecting to promote God, first.

Ralph B. Hathaway