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funion987
Guest
What are some good ways to protect against holier-than-thou sentiments?
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Luvtosew
Guest
Do you mean you are or someone else is. Don’t really know what you mean.
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funion987
Guest
Sorry. I mean to keep yourself from thinking you’re holy.
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George_Stegmeir
Guest
Very easy.remember, smugness is false pride and comes from the devil. Every time you feel smug (look how holy I am), pray. Say “Get away from me Satan. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner”.
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grafs50
Guest
And remember that smugness is NOT HOLY. Stopped me in my tracks just about everytime 
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AlanFromWichita
Guest
For me, I can compare particular skills and talents with other people, but cannot make an overall assessment comparing me to the other person.
Maybe I am “holier” than another person, in that I might be more advanced on the spiritual journey, or can be at peace when others are not, or whatever, but that can change at any time. Look at Saul-to-Paul. It would have been easy to say, “look at how terrible he is; he is nothing but an enemy of Jesus,” and then turn around and have to eat the humility we failed to have when we saw his conversion.
Also I ask opinions of people who are less educated in various areas than I am, or who have different points of view. Often having several different points of view is more useful than having one point of view we hold to be the “correct” one. As an engineer, I used to like to ask shop people for opinions on design; they don’t know how to do design, but they sure know what characteristics of a design make is easy to build or difficult to build, so I ask their opinions. I have lot of book knowledge in engineering and math and a couple of other fields, but I like listening to people who don’t because they have insight that the books can’t give.
Part of it, I think, is to have an honest desire for those around me to excel, so that I am more interested in their well being than in showing that I’m right and they’re not. What is “right” anyway on any given issue? Why not let other people be right? If someone gives an opinion, why can’t I state a different one without having to think smugly of my credentials for answer it as compared to the person I’m with.
Another thing is that other people can do what I can’t, pure and simple. I can run rings around an auto mechanic in algebra, but if you need your car fixed you probably want to go with the mechanic instead of the engineer/math teacher. Engineers design things, but others build them and make them work, so engineering without a shop is nothing.
Reference: 1 Cor 12
Alan
Maybe I am “holier” than another person, in that I might be more advanced on the spiritual journey, or can be at peace when others are not, or whatever, but that can change at any time. Look at Saul-to-Paul. It would have been easy to say, “look at how terrible he is; he is nothing but an enemy of Jesus,” and then turn around and have to eat the humility we failed to have when we saw his conversion.
Also I ask opinions of people who are less educated in various areas than I am, or who have different points of view. Often having several different points of view is more useful than having one point of view we hold to be the “correct” one. As an engineer, I used to like to ask shop people for opinions on design; they don’t know how to do design, but they sure know what characteristics of a design make is easy to build or difficult to build, so I ask their opinions. I have lot of book knowledge in engineering and math and a couple of other fields, but I like listening to people who don’t because they have insight that the books can’t give.
Part of it, I think, is to have an honest desire for those around me to excel, so that I am more interested in their well being than in showing that I’m right and they’re not. What is “right” anyway on any given issue? Why not let other people be right? If someone gives an opinion, why can’t I state a different one without having to think smugly of my credentials for answer it as compared to the person I’m with.
Another thing is that other people can do what I can’t, pure and simple. I can run rings around an auto mechanic in algebra, but if you need your car fixed you probably want to go with the mechanic instead of the engineer/math teacher. Engineers design things, but others build them and make them work, so engineering without a shop is nothing.
Reference: 1 Cor 12
Alan
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Lost_Wanderer
Guest
Oh that’s very, very easy. Look at the human race. Look at how much it has failed. You’ll soon realize that people who think they’re above such failures are only fooling themselves… including you.
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I_Thirst
Guest
You could pray the Litany of Humility.
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being extolled …
From the desire of being honored …
From the desire of being praised …
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted …
From the desire of being approved …
From the fear of being humiliated …
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of suffering rebukes …
From the fear of being calumniated …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…
ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/humility.htm
:byzsoc:
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being extolled …
From the desire of being honored …
From the desire of being praised …
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted …
From the desire of being approved …
From the fear of being humiliated …
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of suffering rebukes …
From the fear of being calumniated …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…
ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/humility.htm
:byzsoc:
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