In the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius talked about three things that people commonly use to protect themselves from being vulnerable, from being unsafe.
The first part of the “Meditation on Two Standards” says,
“they have first to tempt with a longing for riches—as he is accustomed to do in most cases that men may more easily come to vain honor of the world, and then to vast pride. So that the first step shall be that of riches; the second, that of honor; the third, that of pride; and from these three steps he draws on to all the other vices.”
For more than three decades, I have been aware of this strategy and been fighting against it with varying degrees of success.
Ignatius, of course, proposes a counter-strategy:
“the first, poverty against riches; the second, contumely or contempt against worldly honor; the third, humility against pride.”
Tough medicine!
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Oh I am so with you on the fighting for over threee decades!
I was about to say that it is so difficult in western cultures to battle these vices but in truth it is difficult in all human societies. By nature we are pulled by the two competing forces of greed and fear. I’m sure that if we lived in a society without money, our greed/fears/pride/honour would be stoked by other things.
I may have mentioned this before but I was in the offices of a well known US investment bank some years ago on bonus announcement day. A close friend who was with me, and who comes from a similar background, just shook his head and said that he never seen so many newly minted millionnaires look so unhappy. Go figure! God did not make us as complex as we are for nothing
Deep, deep sigh…
The three temptations of Jesus in the desert, right?
Lent is coming. We’ll have the occasion to spend time in the desert with Jesus and chip away at riches, honor, and pride.
Thank you for the reminder
James 3:13-18
Yes, my constant prayer…
I’m in the thick of the battle against these temptations myself. At the beginning of the year, I turned down a significant opportunity at work to focus on developing spiritually and, in particular, to devote sufficient time and energy to a spiritual formation program I’m enrolled in. Part of me can’t believe I did so, and mourns the lost riches, honor, and pride. Tough medicine indeed.
Wow. This really speaks to me (as Ignatius often does). Thank you for the post.
None of those are easy medicines to swallow — but I think the contempt/contumely one is the toughest for me.
Thank you for the post, and the link to Fr. Tetlow’s writing. It was helpful.
I am currently going through the 19th. We have not covered this exercise yet but just the other day in while driving and pondering I was overwhelmed by an acute understanding of the destructive nature of pride. How it draws me into myself and therefore away from God. 35 years of business setting and accomplishing goals, being recognized, promoted, honored did nothing for my spiritual life. I love Mother Theresa comment : “God has not called me to be successful; He has called me to be faithful.” The SE’s are changing my life.
This is timely for me also as a good part of me wants desperately to leap from the hampster wheel while this nagging little voice whispers “you’re going to get hurt in the fall.” How to muster the courage to swim against the tide (if I survive the leap off the wheel) is the doubt that keeps telling me that I should do what’s expected, not what I truly desire. When I measure this against that criteria, the choice is obvious, but still not comfortable.