What is spiritual pride?

[Hermione]

I haven’t been a believer for long enough to be familiar with the temptation of spiritual pride. I know well what regular pride is like with its wanting to be better than other people and all of that. I feel that God has helped me a lot to conquer regular pride. (For example I used to care a lot about how I compared to others, but this has lessened a lot.) But then I start worrying if this feeling might be an indication of spiritual pride. (After all C.S. Lewis said that a person who doesn’t think he’s proud is very proud indeed!)

What does spiritual pride feel like? How do I know if I am being spiritually proud? I would really appreciate personal experiences.

Thanks!

 

[Annunciata]

Hermione:

… (After all C.S. Lewis said that a person who doesn’t think he’s proud is very proud indeed!)

What does spiritual pride feel like? How do I know if I am being spiritually proud? I would really appreciate personal experiences.

Thanks!

I think you have answered your question in the above quote of C.S…and IMO, it is the begininning of SP…Been there… and fight to stay away…
Annunciata

 

[Bob_Baran]

Hermione:

I haven’t been a believer for long enough to be familiar with the temptation of spiritual pride. I know well what regular pride is like with its wanting to be better than other people and all of that. I feel that God has helped me a lot to conquer regular pride. (For example I used to care a lot about how I compared to others, but this has lessened a lot.) But then I start worrying if this feeling might be an indication of spiritual pride. (After all C.S. Lewis said that a person who doesn’t think he’s proud is very proud indeed!)

What does spiritual pride feel like? How do I know if I am being spiritually proud? I would really appreciate personal experiences.

Thanks!

You’re on the right track. I believe that the best analogy to use with spiritual pride would be to quote what St. John the Baptist said that “we must decrease so that God may increase.” Humility reverses once we start realizing an increase in spiritual growth within ourselves and believe that we are better off than others who do not have this enlightenment. Pray to the Holy Spirit to guide you in your path toward Christ.

 

[Grace_and_Glory]

I think that any act of sin has elements of spiritual pride, because when we sin, we are in effect telling God that we know how to run our life better than he does. I know it’s not usually a conscious thought, but that was the message of the first sin, and I think it is still the message sin sends, even if we do not consciously realize it. I hope that helped.

 

[gardenswithkids]

Hermione:

What does spiritual pride feel like? How do I know if I am being spiritually proud? I would really appreciate personal experiences…

When I think things like, “I’m so proud to be humble” I’m in trouble. When I think that *I’m *the one who initiates the good in my spiritual life and not God, I’m experiencing it. (And when I start to think I’m capable of answering profound questions like this on Catholic Answers Forums, I might be experiencing it too )

This is one of those icky sins that sneaks up on people who strive for holiness. We may not see it, but others smell the arrogance, and it makes non-believers want to run away from the Church.