Girolamo Savonarola was one of the great preachers of the fifteenth century. He preached in the great Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy, which contained a magnificent marble statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

When Savonarola started preaching at this great basilica, he noticed one day an elderly woman praying before the statue of Mary. He then began to notice that it was her habit to come every day and pray before the statue. 

Savonarola remarked one day to an elderly priest who had been serving in the basilica for many years, “Look how devoted and earnest this woman is. Every day she comes and offers prayers to the Blessed Mother of Jesus. What a marvelous act of faith.”

But the elderly priest replied, “Do not be deceived by what you see. Many years ago when the sculptor needed a model to pose for this statue of the blessed Mother, he hired a most beautiful young woman to sit for him. This devout worshiper you see here every day is that beautiful woman. She comes here every day to WORSHIP the woman she USED TO BE and the woman she USED TO LOOK LIKE!”

The first and perhaps the deadliest of the seven deadly sins is pride. The Oxford Dictionary defines pride as an “unduly high opinion of one’s own qualities and merits, that is, an arrogant bearing.”

In other words, pride is self-love that says, “I’m better than you.” How often these four words are in our minds throughout the day: “I’m better than you.”

Muhammad Ali had just won another boxing title. On the airplane the flight attendant politely said to him, “You need to fasten your seat belt.” Ali replied, “Superman doesn’t need a seat belt.”To which the flight attendant politely responded, “And Superman doesn’t need an airplane either. Please fasten your seat belt.”

When was the last time “I’m better than you!” crossed YOUR mind when YOU saw someone on TV who was saying something or was boasting about someone YOU did not like?

THE ONLY THING BIGGER THAN GOD’S GREAT UNIVERSE IS OUR EGO!!

Don’t hesitate to share today’s Message.