Pride blinds us to God’s voice, insisting on our ways over His higher paths. Like St. John the Baptist, true humility requires uprooting this root of all sin—self-elevation that rejects God’s authority. Isaiah reminds us: God’s thoughts and ways soar above ours. This fits into our previous call to position ourselves as beggar and lowly earth, receptive to His rain of grace. St. Francis warned against pride’s snares, urging total dependence on God.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Over the past few days, we have reflected together on repentance, a contrite heart, humility, and facing pride. Today, we go deeper into the attitude of pride. Pride not only hurts our relationships with others—it can completely block the voice of God. It convinces us that our thoughts are better than His. Consider the words of St. John the Baptist: “He must increase, and I must decrease”. (John 3:30) To truly live these words, we must uproot pride completely.
Pride is called the “root of all sin” because it is often the starting point of everything that goes wrong in the human heart.
Pride is the desire to be number one—above God and above others. It whispers within us: “I know best. I don’t need help. My plan is perfect.” We pursue success and attempt to control our lives through our own plans, schedules, and opinions, saying, “This is my way, and it is the best way.” Yet deep within, this is a form of rebellion—much like the devil who once desired to place himself on the same level as God. Today this pride may appear in many ways: when we ignore the advice of family members, when we skip prayer because we are “too busy,” or when we dismiss the teachings of the Church because they do not align with our personal views. Pride makes us deaf to God’s call in the ordinary events of daily life.
Now listen again to God’s clear response in the Book of Isaiah: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Imagine yourself standing on the ground and looking up at the endless sky. God’s wisdom is that high above ours. Our thoughts are limited, like small paths winding across the earth—twisting and easily leading us astray. But God’s ways are vast, guiding us toward true life and peace. Pride resists this truth. It tries to climb higher by its own strength, yet ultimately it leads only to loneliness and dryness of heart.
Do you remember the two images from Day 18? They fit perfectly here.
First, become a beggar before God. Not proudly demanding, but humbly asking for what we cannot give ourselves: grace, wisdom, and forgiveness.
Second, be like a humble earth. Valleys receive the most rain because they are low; mountains shed the rain away. If we remain on the “high ground” of pride, the Word of God—like life-giving rain—simply runs off. But when we lower ourselves, God’s Word can penetrate deeply into the soil of our hearts and bring forth new life. Let us ask ourselves: Where am I standing too high? At work? In my relationships with family? Or in my own plans?
St. Francis of Assisi lived this truth in a simple yet powerful way. He renounced everything—home, wealth, and comfort—and lived by begging for food, trusting entirely in God alone. In the rule he wrote for his brothers, Francis warned them to beware of pride and self-concern, to remain humble in hardship, and to love those who hurt them. Francis was able to hear God’s voice clearly because he willingly made himself small—serving the poor and praising God through all creation. His life proclaims a powerful message:
when we stop relying only on ourselves, we begin to hear God.
Pride within us says, “I can handle everything my own way.” Yet God’s ways are higher—filled with surprises that heal and set us free.
Let us honestly admit it: our own thoughts often lead to stress and mistakes, while God’s ways lead to joy.
Now imagine yourself kneeling before God like a beggar, your heart open. Feel yourself like soft soil waiting for rain.
Today, what in your life needs to “decrease”? Surrender it to God.
Let us once again ponder the Word of God:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Reflection
Where do I insist on my own will rather than God’s will, thereby blocking His voice?
How does pride make me so self-reliant that I forget I am merely a beggar before God?
In what areas of my life do I play god, deciding good and evil on my own?
Today’s Prayer
Lord Jesus, my merciful Savior, forgive my arrogance. I have dared to place my proud yet fleeting thoughts above Your eternal wisdom. I confess my rebellion in insisting that my will is best, while ignoring Your higher ways.
Uproot this sinful root within my heart. Teach me to kneel before You like a beggar, pleading for Your grace; like humble earth in the valley, thirsting for the rain of Your Word.
Just as St. Francis of Assisi embraced poverty in order to hear You more clearly, strip away my self-sufficiency. May You increase, and may I decrease. Renew my heart so that I may once again hear what You desire to say to me.
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