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132. Vainglory

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."

"Whoever wants to stand alone without the support of a master and guide will be like the tree that stands alone in a field without a proprietor. No matter how much the tree bears, passers-by will pick the fruit before it ripens. "
St John of the Cross, OCD - Doctor of the Church

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"Happy is the youth, because he has time before him to do good. "
St Philip Neri

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"The supreme perfection of man in this life is to be so united to God that all his soul with all its faculties and powers are so gathered into the Lord God that he becomes one spirit with him, and remembers nothing except God, is aware of and recognises nothing but God, but with all his desires unified by the joy of love, he rests contentedly in the enjoyment of his Maker alone."
St Albert the Great

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