There is such a thing as healthy pride. It comes from our awareness that we have inherent worth and purpose, having been created in God’s image. This kind of pride inspires us to grow, strive for excellence, and live out our God-given potential. It strengthens us to uphold our dignity and to stand up for what is good and right. When we are truly proud of who we are, criticism and failure lose their power to hurt us.

Yet pride, if unchecked, can easily mutate into malignant self-love. In its most dangerous form, toxic pride makes us crave constant praise because we think we are better and more deserving than others. This sense of entitlement fuels a never-ending desire for wealth, power, and status. We begin to think that we should have more, simply because we deserve more. Indeed, toxic pride can easily lead to greed.

The digital age further aggravates toxic pride by equating our self-worth with the likes, views, followers, and subscribers that we get from social media. Our self-esteem rises and falls with online approval or rejection. We begin to measure our value not by who we are, but by how others perceive us. We create multiple identities dependent on external validation.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers the antidote to pride: humility. “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).What does “humbling oneself” mean? Does Jesus want us to belittle ourselves or pretend to be less than we are? Many people think that they are humble if they downplay their achievements, assume a low-key appearance, or refuse a compliment when it is offered.

Toxic pride can disguise itself as false humility. We see examples of this during award ceremonies. A winner would accept her trophy tearfully, saying: “I don’t deserve this. Someone else should have won.” But try getting back the award and she will haul you to court.

St. Thomas Aquinas taught that “humility is truth.” The word humility comes from the Latin humus, meaning “earth” or “ground.” To be humble is to be grounded in reality, to have a clear and honest understanding of who we truly are. It is to recognize our strengths without arrogance and to accept our weaknesses with a sincere desire to overcome them with God’s grace.

I remember a story about Abraham Lincoln, who was once mocked for his unusually long legs. He responded calmly, “A man’s legs should be long enough to reach the ground.” In Filipino, an arrogant person is often described as mahangin (full of hot air) or nakalutang sa hangin (floating in the air). It's a fitting metaphor for someone consumed by toxic pride. He is not grounded in truth, but drifting in illusion.

True humility also recognizes the dignity of others, especially those who have less. In today’s Gospel, Jesus urges us:“When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:13–14).

Humble people value others not for what they have, but for who they are. They can do so because they have emptied themselves of self-importance. In this, they resemble Christ Himself. St. Paul writes: “Though He was God, Jesus emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness. He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6–8).

In a culture that prizes self-promotion and self-exaltation, true humility stands as a quiet but powerful path to true greatness. For in God’s eyes, the last shall be first, the lowly lifted up, and the humble exalted.