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The vice I am talking about is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility. You may remember, when I was talking about sexual morality, I warned you that the centre of Christian morals did not lie there. Well, now we have come to the centre. According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride.
Unchastity, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.
… C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
(How do you see the vice of Pride working in
your life?)
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EST C:12, 14-16, 23-25; PS 138:1-2AB, 2CDE-3, 7C-8
MT 7:7-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how
much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.
"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets." USCCB Lectionary
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Matthew 7: 7-12: Ask, seek, knock
Jesus reveals to us a God who is generous and responsive. This does not exempt us, however, from searching for ways to
grow closer to God. It is in the searching and asking that we discover ourselves, as well as God's goodness.
* What are you seeking from God? from your family members?
* How would you like others to treat you?
Make a list, and then resolve to treat others likewise.
Paperback, Kindle
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God and I: Exploring the Connections between God, Self and Ego, by Philip St. Romain, 2016 (2nd ed.) ____________ Chapter 2: Self (excerpts)
Self and God
The understanding of Self expressed here, then, is that Self is not-God, but is the awareness aspect of human spiritual consciousness, which is creaturely. Self receives its existence directly from God in every moment; it does not create itself, nor is it a consequence of other activities or operations going on at the levels of organism or psyche. Self operates in
and through a human body and brain, but it continues to exist in out-of-body experiences as well. To be in touch with Self is to catch a glimpse of what it means to be a spiritual being. But this does not mean that Self is God. It is not. Self is limited in its range of perception and is inextricably linked with intellect and will, both of which are also limited in their range of operation. God has no such limitations.
Hardback, paperback, eBook and free preview versions.
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