When we sin, we often try to ease our guilt by saying, “At least I am not as bad as those corrupt politicians, rapists, or drug pushers.” In doing so, we resemble the Pharisee in today’s Gospel reading who prays, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men—greedy, dishonest, or adulterous” (Luke 18:11). Because of pride, he downplays his own faults by magnifying the flaws of others. It is like believing you are slim simply because you are standing next to someone overweight.

Pride, in its healthy form, can be a sign of self-respect or dignity. There is nothing wrong with being proud of one’s intelligence, beauty, or other gifts that God has given. But pride can easily mutate into an inflated sense of self-worth. When this happens, we resemble the devil, who was once an angel but, having been blinded by his own greatness, declared: “I will not serve. I will ascend to the heavens... I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13–14).

Toxic pride is unlike other sins. While other sins draw us away from God, pride places us above God. One sign of this is when we stop acknowledging our dependence on Him and begin to “play God,” setting our own standards of right and wrong and demanding praise from others.

This is the condition of the Pharisee, who appears to be praying and seeking mercy but is actually performing a self-congratulatory monologue as he enumerates his good deeds. It is as if he is telling God: “Aren’t you lucky you have someone like me?” In his eyes, it is not forgiveness that he needs, but divine favors to which he is entitled based on his own merit. But as St. Paul wrote, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10).

Today, toxic pride is expressed in the mantra, “You can be what you want to be,” regardless of the moral or social consequences of your actions. Notice how the media glorifies famous and wealthy celebrities and influencers who personify this distorted notion of authenticity. With them as models, we are told never to feel ashamed, no matter how outrageous our actions, as long as they express our “authentic” selves. Defiance of moral norms and standards has become a badge of honor.

We see this in how public figures flaunt immoral behavior while being cheered on by their followers. But beneath the surface, what looks like freedom from moral constraints is actually a spiritual sickness lamented by one of the prophets: “Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush” (Jeremiah 6:15).

The proud no longer feel shame because they have reshaped reality to conform to their illusion of superiority. They justify, rationalize, and shift blame to others in order to preserve their self-image. They do not seek forgiveness even when they sin because they cannot admit they are wrong.

The antidote to pride is humility. Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself. It means thinking of yourself less. It means having a clear-eyed awareness of who you are before God: imperfect but loved, flawed but forgiven. To be humble is to acknowledge our limitations and our dependence on something greater than ourselves. True humility makes us look like an angel; pride distorts the image of God within us and makes us resemble the devil.

Today’s Gospel reading ends with a sobering truth: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14). Jesus commends the tax collector who simply prays, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” When we pray like this, honestly and humbly, God will surely hear us. For, as the Psalmist writes, “A humble, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn” (Psalm 51:17).