Not My Ego

I recently came across the following quote as posted on Christ in our Midst!

When you overcome one of the grosser passions, such as gluttony, unchastity, anger, or greed, the thought of self-esteem at once assails you. If you defeat this thought, the thought of pride succeeds it.

~Saint Maximos the Confessor, The Philokalia, Vol. 2, p. 92.

I find that when I honestly plunge the depths of my heart that this struggle of purity exists. Pride (which is egocentric) reveals its ugly head. Pride/Ego wants its way. It is the source of all my conflicts with others, And it is the source of all my self-righteous thoughts (I'm nicer than you, I am smarter than you, I am kinder than you, I am humbler than you, I serve more than you, I am less broken than you, etc, etc.). Pride/Ego is contrary to humility. Christ did not come for himself, he came for us. He did not come to satisfy and patch up the broken honour of the Father, He came to heal us, to restore us, to make us whole. He did not have any ego needs. And because he didn't, (which in my opinion is perfect love), he shows us that we too are to surrender our egos. To save our life, we must lose it. For me this means letting go of my shallow pride/ego needs, and living entirely for Christ, with Christ, and in Christ. I think this is the more excellent way of love that St. Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 13. Here again I say, "although we are unworthy."

LORD in your mercy, Brian+