Presidential Pride: The Root of All Evil in This Election

It was Saint Augustine who wrote that "pride is the commencement of all sin because it was this which overthrew the devil, from whom arose the origin of sin." What does it mean to be full of pride? Well, first let's be clear that there are two kinds of pride, one of good origin and one of bad. In Mother Angelica's book, Answers, Not Promises, she discusses the difference. She explains that it would not be sinful to say that you are proud of your children for the good works they achieved or to say that you are proud to be an American (that song is stuck in your head now, too, huh??) because these examples of pride foster gratitude in your heart. However, if your pride leads you to believe you are above God or any other person, then you're on a highway to hell, brotha! Now, I got another song stuck in your head. You're welcome!

So think about it. What sin do you struggle with the most? What is the cause of that sin? If you really get to the bottom of it, you'll notice that is because you believe you are entitled to something, or you deserve a better hand in life, and what happens next? You decide you're going to take this situation into your own hands. Pride is simply playing God. You're telling God that you can do it better, and so, along comes the sin.

Sometimes pride is easily recognized. You need only to turn on the tv for a clip of one of Donald Trump's usual facial expressions to see it. Then, of course, he opens his mouth and pride is literally yelling at you. I mean, it's uuuuuuuge. Yes, Donald Trump is full of pride. But don't go thinking Miss Hillary is a little humble pie. She's no better than Trump. But, sadly, these are our choices and one of the two will become our president. Do I believe we have a really sucky decision to make in this election? Absolutely. Does either candidate possess the qualities I want in my president or follow closely with the teachings of the Church? Heck no. But it's a choice, nonetheless, that we are each going to need to make, and we need to evaluate not the pride of the candidates, but that of ourselves.

We need to look into the future outcomes of this election. One candidate, as you well know, is completely and painfully pro-choice. The other is pro-life with some exceptions. This is the big issue if you are a Catholic voter. This is a non-negotiable. We, as Catholics, are called to vote for life. Not only that, but whoever wins this election will have the opportunity to appoint potentially four Supreme Court Justices. We want those to be pro-life, as well. These folks aren't just in Washington for 4 years, they're there for who knows how long. That's a big deal, too. You might say, "well, this candidate is a bigot, or this candidate is sexist." Even if this is true, the other candidate supports the killing of children, the mutilation of women, and wants it fully funded by you. Which sounds like the more important concern? We have to get a bigger picture here. We have to evaluate our future and vote for the better possible outcome. A vote for a third party or a no-vote is truly just another tally for your opposing party in the long run.

Are you letting your own pride get in the way of voting for the candidate that is the lesser of two evils? Are you not voting for someone because you don't want to be associated with "those kind of people" that are supporting the candidate? Maybe you are more educated than the rest of the voters, but that should not hinder you from humbling yourself for the greater good. Are you not voting for a certain candidate because you think you could do the job better yourself? Maybe this is true, but you aren't an option in this election and God is calling you to humble yourself and trust in His will for our country.

No matter what, Thy will be done. Pray for your role in this election. Pray for the future president. Pray for the future of our country. Pray for life.

For more on how the Church calls you to vote, look over this guide!