Pride

A proud man owned a few hectares of good land; he felt vain over the great ears of grain that covered his field, and he looked with disdain upon the barren field of the humble man. The latter rose at the crowing of the cock and remained the whole day bent over the ungrateful soil; he patiently gathered the pebbles and cast them to the edge of the road; he turned the earth deeply and pulled out with difficulty the brambles that covered it. Now, his sweat made the field fruitful, and he harvested the best wheat. Meanwhile, the tares grew in the field of the proud man and smothered the wheat, while the owner boasted of its fertility, looking with an air of pity upon the silent efforts of the humble man.

Verily I say unto you that the proud man is like the tares that smother the good grain. He among you who believes himself worth more than his brother, and who boasts of it, is foolish; but wise is he who works for himself, like the humble man in his field, without growing vain over his labor. II.

There was a rich and powerful man who enjoyed the favor of the prince; he dwelt in palaces, and numerous servants strove to anticipate his desires.

One day his packs of hounds were chasing the deer in the depths of the forest when he caught sight of a poor woodcutter who walked with great difficulty, beneath the weight of a bundle of firewood. He called him and said to him: — Vile slave! Why do you go on your way without bowing before me? I am the equal of the lords of the earth: in the councils my voice decides peace or war, and the greatest men of the realm bow in my presence. Know that I am wise among the wise, powerful among the powerful, great among the great, and my high standing is the work of my own hands. — Lord! — replied the poor man — I feared that my humble greeting might be an offense to you. I am poor and possess no other goods than my arms; even so, I do not desire your deceptive grandeurs. I sleep soundly and do not fear, as you do, that the master's pleasure may cause me to fall into my obscurity. Now, the prince became displeased with the pride of the haughty man; the humiliated great men seized hold of him and hurled him down from the heights of his power, like the dry leaf that the wind sweeps from the top of a mountain; but the humble man calmly continued his rough labor, without worrying about the next day. III.

Proud one, humble yourself, for the hand of the Lord shall bend your pride until it is reduced to dust!

Listen! You were born where fate cast you; you came forth from your mother's womb, weak and naked like the least of men. Why do you raise your brow higher than your fellow men, you who, like them, were born for pain and for death? Hear! Your riches and your grandeurs, vanity of vanities, shall escape from your hands when the Great Day comes, like the wandering waters of the torrent that the sun causes to evaporate. Of your riches you shall take with you only the boards of the coffin; and the titles engraved on the gravestone shall be words empty of meaning. Listen! The gravedigger's dog shall play with your bones, and they shall be mingled with those of the destitute, your ashes confounded with theirs, because one day both shall be reduced to dust. You shall then curse the gifts you received, when you see the beggar clothed in his glory, and you shall weep over your pride. Humble yourself, proud one, for the hand of the Lord shall bend your pride down to the dust.

Saint Louis. n

— Why does Saint Louis speak to us in parables?

Answer. — The human Spirit loves mystery; the lesson is better engraved upon the heart when we seek it out.

— Does it not seem that, at present, instruction ought to be given to us in a more direct manner, without our needing to resort to allegory?

Answer. — You shall find it in the development. I wish to be read, and morality needs to be disguised beneath the attraction of pleasure.

[1]

[see Saint Louis.]