Wisdom Wednesday: Bernard of Clairvaux on Pride
Pride is the capital vice, the deadliest of the seven deadly sins. Bernard of Clairvaux’s words on this vice are evergreen, and worthy of our consideration as we reflect on our own character.
"He must either talk or burst....He hungers and thirsts after hearers, to whom he may vaunt his vanities, to whom he may pour forth all his feelings, to whom his character and greatness may become known....Opinions fly around, weighty words resound. He interrupts a questioner, he answers one who does not ask. He himself puts the questions, he himself solves them, he cuts short his fellow speaker's unfinished words....He does not care to teach you, or to learn from you what he does not know, but to know that you know that he knows."
How often do we have that feeling, that we “must either talk or burst”? How often do “we hunger and thirst” after an audience, more than we hunger and thirst for truth and wisdom? How often do we want to show what we know, or at least hide what we don’t know? These ways that pride manifests itself are pernicious. They corrupt our souls, damage our relationships, and hinder us in our growth in Christ.
How can we counteract our prideful dispositions? One way is to seek to cultivate humility in intentional ways. Another is to develop and practice a compassionate curiosity with others. A third is to truly seek to be helpful, and allow ourselves to be helped, by our dialogue and discussion with other people. I’ve got shortcomings in these areas that I am entrusting to God, hoping and working for change in my own soul. My hope is that as we make progress in this, others might actually ask us to give a reason for the hope that is in us. And as we grow in humble love, we will be able to do so with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).