Гордыня (гордость)

If you ever become proud when looking at your wealth, then let the thought of a common Creator humble you and lead you into the limits of modesty (1). As someone told me, after many prayers, so that in order to purify his former pride he would wisely learn humility, at first he was a doorkeeper of the church, and then he became a shepherd, even the best and most experienced of shepherds (1). Proud of nobility! Improve morals (1). Do not think too highly of yourself and do not rely on your own intelligence, although you are very wise. If you see someone below you, do not exalt yourself, as if you have surpassed everyone and are close to the goal. He has not yet reached his goal who has not seen the limit of his path. You need to have a lot of fear, but you shouldn’t become excessively timid. Height brings down to earth, hope lifts to heaven; and God is angry with great pride. You can grasp some things with your hands, touch others only with hope; and completely refuse anything else. And that is a sign of chastity - to know the measure of your life. It is equally bad for you to put aside good hope and to have too bold a thought that it is not difficult to be perfect. In both cases, your mind is on a bad road. Always try to ensure that your arrow hits the very target, be careful not to fly further than the commandment of the great Christ, beware of not fully fulfilling the commandment: in both cases the goal is achieved. And excess is often useless when, wanting new glory, we strain the arrow beyond measure. If you think a lot about yourself, then I will remind you where you came into life, what you were before - when you lay in your mother’s womb, and what you will be later, namely: dust and the food of worms, because you will bring with you to the dead no more than the weakest (2). The life of the chaste non-covetous people, grafted in the mountains, is high; but pride also overthrew them more than once; because they, without measuring their virtue by other more perfect examples, sometimes in their hearts call what is not high as height, and often with a flaming mind, their legs, like hot horses, carry them further than their goal. Therefore, either fly higher and higher on light wings, or, remaining below, make a safe flow, not fearing that some weight will bend your wings to the ground and you, having ascended, will fall in a miserable fall (2). Always beware of the sting of him who incessantly draws back souls that stretch forward, so that he may reign over a large number of humiliated ones, who was the first to be brought down from heavenly glory to earth and drags out here the yoke of shame imposed on the proud (2). You might be interested in: