The Catholic Parish of
Saint John Henry Newman

 Covering most of East Leeds

Is Pride Always A Sin?

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There is an old saying that, "pride always comes before a fall," but surely we all need something to be proud of in our lives, our families, our homes, our jobs. The men and women in our armed services who go to war to serve their country show immense pride in their uniform, their regiments and their comrades who fight, die and suffer alongside them. If you are looking for a builder or an electrician, you always try to choose someone who has a pride in their work; because you know they will finish up doing a good job for you. As Catholics we too have pride in our faith, our church and the parish community to which we all belong.

Some years ago my wife was rushed into hospital at about 11.00pm, I stayed most of the night and at 5.00am I phoned for a taxi to take me home. When it arrived, it was driven by a young Asian man, who on the journey home asked me which member of my family was in hospital, when I replied it was my wife, he amazed me by saying, "I will pray for her." "But I'm a Catholic not a Muslim," I said. He smiled and replied, "There can only be one God, your God and mine are the same one, we just worship him in different ways." "Then why do Muslims hate us so much," I asked. He said, "The Muslims that do all these bad things are not true Muslims," looking at me again with a smile he went on, "Christians do bad things to each other all the time, but this is widely ignored."

This was a truly remarkable young man, who was proud of his faith and yet willing to accept other faiths with remarkable ease. We chatted all the way home and I don't think I've ever enjoyed a taxi ride so much. As he dropped me off at my door, he leaned across and said, "I hope your wife will soon be well, I will pray for her." Contrast this experience to the Christian teacher, who told a parent that she would pray for her sick child and was promptly sacked by the school for openly promoting Christian beliefs.

Belief is never far removed from unbelief. Love is never far removed from hate.
Hope is only a short distance from doubt and Joy lies side by side with tears.



Published Fri 28th Jul 2017 21:55:51
Last Modified on Fri 28th Jul 2017 22:02:43

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