Choose a topic from Part 2B:
1. Glory, in the present use of the term, meanspraise that is given to excellence displayed. Such praise may befrom many persons, or from few, or from one, or even from oneself.Now, glory can be vain in three ways: (a) when it is praise forsomething unworthy; (b) when it is praise given by unworthypersons; (c) when it is praise unrelated to God directly, orindirectly as contributing to the spiritual good of man. For any ofthese reasons, glory is called vainglory. Vainglory ismanifestly an inordinateness, and is therefore a sin.
2. Magnanimity refers to honors, and glory is an effect ofhonor; thus true glory falls into the field of magnanimity.Therefore vainglory, the opposite of true glory, is an evil opposedto magnanimity.
3. It is possible for vainglory to be a serious sin, but,for the most part, it is a venial sin. In itself, it is notnecessarily opposed to charity. When, accidentally, it is broughtinto conflict with charity, it is a mortal sin.
4. Vainglory is not mentioned in the list of capital sins.Yet St. Gregory (Moral. xxxi) names it with pride. He saysthat pride is the greatest vice and is found in all sins, but thatvainglory is an immediate offspring of pride, and should be namedas one of the capital sins.
5. St. Gregory further says that vainglory, as a capitalsin, gives direct rise to disobedience, boastfulness, hypocrisy,contention, obstinacy, discord, and the craze for what is new.These vices, St. Gregory calls "the daughters ofvainglory."
"This is the greatest wisdom -- to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. "
Thomas á Kempis
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"A person who rails at God in adversity, suffers without merit; moreover by his lack of resignation he adds to his punishment in the next life and experiences greater disquietude of mind in this life."
St Alphonsus de Liguori
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"Before a man chooses his confessor, he ought to think well about it, and pray about it also; but when he has once chosen, he ought not to change, except for most urgent reasons, but put the utmost confidence in his director."
St Philip Neri
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