Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Vainglory

Vainglory

Last updated on: April 4, 2019 at 4:07 am by Henry Karlson

Vainglory 2019-04-04T04:07:14-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Triumph of Vainglory, from BNF ms. Latin 6069-I, Petrarch’s De Viris Illustribus / Wikimedia Commons

Nothing is so quick to turn us away from the good than by seeking praise and honors for doing so, because once we become accustomed to accept such praise as signifying what is good and just, we will find ourselves malleable to the whims of what is temporarily popular. We shall change our ways, we shall change what we do, in order to continue to receive accolades from others. What could be more fickle than that? We might get what we desire, but we will find it is fleeting: the praise is momentary, while life continues on. We will find out that when we get such a reward that it does not satisfy us. When our fame dies down, we will have to do something once again to gain the attention of others, and the more we act in the ways we think will get us praise, the more we will find ourselves transformed, doing only what it takes to receive the attention we desire.

Why do we do this? Why do we seek out such vain glory? It is because we are attached to ourselves, we love ourselves and the good which we see in ourselves. Truly such good might be worthy of being praised, insofar as it is good, but it should not be elevated beyond its proper status. Likewise, we should not be glorified and treated as being more than we are. Yet, as we love ourselves, we seek such glorification: it makes us feel good. It seems to justify our own self-attachment. We love ourselves, and so we love it when others love us. Once we become addicted to such praise, doing whatever we feel is necessary to continue to receive it. Indeed, the more we are tied to it, the more we find ourselves acting, instead of being, what we portray ourselves to be. “Sometimes a man cuts off a passion in order to indulge himself more fully, and he is praised by those unaware of his aim. He may even be unaware of it himself, and so his action is self-defeating.”[1]

Eventually, we will find ourselves not only out of favor, but incapable of receiving it again as others become the center of attention for a fickle public. And then what shall we do? What will this mean for us? Since our foundation was not in accordance with justice and reason, but the momentary satisfaction of an emotional desire, we will find ourselves out of luck: not only will our vanity no longer be appeased, we will find that we do not know what to do with ourselves, because we have acted according to the dictates of others and their vain opinions, and not reason. Vainglory, the desire for praise and glory and honors, is a terrible temptation because it leads us away from the good by deluding us with a partial, lesser good, which like a mirage, will one day desert us, leaving us wandering around a barren landscape without any understanding of where we should go.

Often, to be sure, we do not begin with visions of glory. Vainglory tempts us, and gets to us, often when we seek what is good and just, but then find ourselves and our actions receiving the praises of others. As we like the praise, we slowly find ourselves and our actions modified so that we continue to get it. We see what people like, and act accordingly; we begin, even, to repeat ourselves, hoping for repeat accolades. Sadly, this often leads to disaster. What is good at one time and place might become harmful when repeated. Vainglory, however, distorts our vision and so does not allow us to reason through our actions, discerning what was good about them, so we are more likely than not to act in ways which will harm not only us but our fawning public.

Vainglory is a special temptation for those pursuing religious holiness. Many who seek a name for themselves in religious circles fall for this error for this very reason: they begin with good intention, but without prudence, they fall for vainglory and then seek to be lifted up and praised by others, often by taking down and destroying the good which hinders the reception of such praise. To seek honor, to take and accept awards as signs of one’s value, is to accept the temptation of vainglory, and those who do so will find themselves set up for a terrible fall from grace. Indeed vainglory, that is the promotion of the self and its glory (hence, a bad kind of “self-esteem”), is something which plaques us throughout our spiritual journey. It is a vice which comes back at us again and again, attempting to thwart us from the fullness of the good with the comforts which it brings to us instead. Thus, St. Gregory of Sinai warns us, we can easily find ourselves daydreaming about our own glory:

For whether you are a beginner, or midway along the spiritual path, or have attained the stage of perfection, self-esteem always tries to insinuate itself, and it nullifies your efforts to live a holy life, so that you waste your time in listlessness and day-dreaming.[2]

Once we let vainglory divert us, what we have gained is easily lost, as we let our goal become subverted. What is good, can be good, but when we use it for our own vanity, to look good in front of others rather than for the good itself, we find that the good itself is hollowed out, making it vain, which is why we read in the book of Isaiah God’s displeasure with the vain impiety which lay behind the way many in Israel worshiped Him: “Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and the calling of assemblies — I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly” (Isa. 1:13 RSV).

In this fashion, we find many actions which can be good, and lead us towards our proper end with God, can become subverted and turn us inward instead, worshiping ourselves and our own glory:

Like the sun which shines on all alike, vainglory beams on every occupation. What I mean is this. I fast, and turn vainglorious. I stop fasting so that I will draw no attention to myself, and I become vainglorious over my prudence. I dress well or badly, and am vainglorious in either case. I talk or I hold my peace, and each time I am defeated. No matter how I shed this prickly thing, a spike remains to stand up against me.[3]

So long as we focus on the good which we do and the glory we think we have earned as a result of that good, we abuse the good, making it a tool for our own spiritual destruction. This is not to say that there was no good achieved: often such good is achieved, and God is at work in and through that good for the benefit of others, but for the one who gives in to vainglory, that good is lessened, insofar as that vainglory is heeded. It can still be turned around and used for the greater good: but to do that, the vainglory must be removed and the true and full good, which lies beyond ourselves, must once again become our focus.

This is why Jesus, in speaking of doing good, tells us to avoid any attachment to that good ourselves:

Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matt. 6:1-4 RSV).

The proper reward, that which we truly should seek and desire, is the good which lasts, the good which God is able to and will bring to us in eternity. So long as we hold on to some temporal good as our desired end, if we get that end, we have received our reward, but it is a reward which shall not satisfy because of its temporal nature. If we seek after that which shall last, we might and likely will attain limited goods as well. There is no reason for us to deny them, so long as we enjoy them without attachment, without treating them as being more than they are. What is important is that we do not let ourselves be seduced by lesser goods, becoming so attached to them we lose our way; they are good, because they have been given to us by God, but we should receive them as temporary gifts which remind us of the greater and eternal gift of the good itself which we seek. That is, we must remember that it is not the temporary goods which are in error, it is our attachment to them which lead us astray. Vainglory comes when we attach ourselves to the honor and praises of others: it is not the honors and praises themselves which are necessarily bad, but our reaction to them which causes us trouble.

“Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another” (Gal. 5:26 RSV). Charity and humility, the fruits of love, are what we need to hold onto when we find ourselves tempted by vainglory. For by them, we see through the praises, and see that what we must seek is not our own self-promotion, but rather, the good itself, a good which lifts others up because it is right and just to do so. Love, the source and foundation of charity, after all, never looks to the self, but to the beloved, and so long as we look to the beloved, we will receive nothing which will move us to praise ourselves. On the other hand, when we see ourselves belittling others because we feel dishonored by them, we can see that the vice of vainglory is influencing us, and the more we react to such negatively, the worse we might be seen by others:

Vainglory induces pride in the favored and resentment in those who are slighted. Often it causes dishonor instead of honor, because it brings great shame to its angry disciples. It makes the quick-tempered look mild before men. It thrives amid talent and frequently brings catastrophe on those enslaved to it.[4]

Thus, it is best to avoid all pursuit of earthly honors. We should seek what is good and true, and not base that on the mere opinions of others. Then we can slowly move beyond the illusion of earthly glory as we hopefully receive a share of the divine glory. And once we do, then vainglory and its power over us will be destroyed. [5]

[1] St. Mark the Ascetic, “On the Spiritual Law” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text. Volume One. Trans. G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, Kallistos Ware et. al. (London: Faber and Faber, 1983), 117.

[2] St. Gregory of Sinai, “On Stillness,” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text. Volume Four. Trans. G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, Kallistos Ware et. al. (London: Faber and Faber, 1995), 272.

[3] St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Trans. Colm Luibheid (New York: Paulist Press, 1982), 202.

[4] St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 203.

[5] Thus, ““If we really long for heavenly things, we will surely taste the glory above. And whoever has tasted that will think nothing of earthly glory” St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 204.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook

Previous Post

April 3, 2019

The Cruelty Behind Trump's Policies Cannot Go Unchallenged

Next Post

April 8, 2019 Pride

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz