The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-12-28
PRIDE, TIE GREATEST SIN
SERMON BY REF. FATHER LTLLEY
At ST. MARY'S CHURCH.

The Manifold Forms in Which Pride APP
pears-Pride of Riches, Position, and In
telIect-Hypocrisy of Pride in Piety-Col-
lection on Christmas Day Isl 1875.
At ST. Mary's Roman Catholic church
yesterday morning Rev. Father Lilley
preached to large congregation from
the text Luke xii, Ia: For Whosoever
exalteth himself shall be abased, and
he that humbleth himself shall be ex-
alted'
Pride is the beginning of all sin,
God resists the praised according to the
scriptures, which is another way of
saying the same thing as in the text.
There is no position in life too high to
resist its attack nor place So low as
not to tempt it's assault, The Garden
of Eden, though filled with Gods great
est blessings, was not such as to pre-
vent it's attack. In Ecclesiastes we are
told that pride is the beginning of all
sin. For this there are two reasons. BY
it the holy angels fell
The first angel in heaven was daz-
zled by it's splendor, and tried to set
his powers above the most high and
again when he set his diabolical mind
at work to accomplish the fall of our
race, and man BATTERED himself with
the hope that he would become as God.
All sacred history and all the things
around us tell how complete was mans
fall.
In the first place, we have the pride
of caste and the pride of wealth. Be
cause man is descended, by chance,
from some great family, he thinks that
all the world should hold him in rev.
erence Even in our great republic has
an attempt been made to establish
castles with family escutcheon, and the
like insignia.
But the great, good sense of the
American people has stamped with dis
approval this well termed 'shoddy'
| aristocracy. Riches are not in them
selves bad, but because they are per-
verified to a bad use, and render the
| possessors Indifferent to his fellow men.
The worm of pride is constantly gnaw-
| making him look down upon those who
have not the same wealth, but who are
incomparably his superior in the king
dom of Christ. Do not initiate the bad
example of either the proud rich or of
| the poor. If rich look not down upon
| the condition of the poor, and if
poor look not with envy upon the
riches of another
Again. we have the pride of intellect,
| that rock upon which many minds have
| been wrecked. 1t Is on account of this
| that many outside the church are de-
MED faith. Many in New Haven would
| be Catholics tomorrow If 1t were not
| for social friends 1t is on account of
| this that heresy and schism exist in
| the church. 1t is strange that this
| pride is given to those who practice
| the highest piety Even they become
| possessed with the idea of their own
| sanctity, and look down upon those
who do not conform to their notions of
| piety This is vice and not virtue; by
| pocrisy and not humility We may get
an idea of the malignity of pride from
| the punishment which have been
melted out to it. I refer to the punish
ment of the holy angels and our first
parents and the many other examples
| in sacred history.
Turn away, my friends, from this
vice, lest it work your ruin as it has
| done to so many others. Humble your
| self, whatever your position In life.
You are perhaps better off to-day than
| you We're a few years ago. In few
years you will be what? Food for the
worms! Death is the greatest humber
of pride.
| Father Lilley announced that the col
lection on Christmas day amounted to
| S1,135.33, nearly a hundred dollars
| more than last year.