Daily Inspiration

Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ Thus, you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!” -Matthew 23:27-32
 
Few scribes and Pharisees heard Christ’s words and repented because misery loves company. The enemy is misery, and his sin is pride. He desires to steal away God’s children, so the serpent whispers in our ears, places pride in our hearts, and pulls us from God, causing the downfall of many.
 
Like the Pharisees, pride also creeps into our lives as we begin to see ourselves in a self-made truth, a lie. When absolute truth confronts us, we either awaken to it or tighten our eyes closed. 
 
Pride loses its potency when we keep God at the forefront of our minds, with eyes open to His Truth. Pride falls away when we understand God is greater than and beyond all of the universe; by comparison, we are less than a speck. Without pride, we hear words of truth and correction, responding quickly to change our ways. But, as the scribes and Pharisees proved, pride, the favorite tool of the enemy, is the sin that blinds.
 
Saint Augustine, pray for us.
 
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Jesus, I trust in you.