20260715 PRIDE IS THE CAUSE OF OUR DOWNFALL
15 July 2026, Wednesday, 15th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Isaiah 10:5-7,13-16 |
Assyria's arrogance and coming ruin
The Lord of hosts says this:
Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger,
the club brandished by me in my fury!
I sent him against a godless nation;
I gave him commission against a people that provokes me,
to pillage and to plunder freely
and to stamp down like the mud in the streets.
But he did not intend this,
his heart did not plan it so.
No, in his heart was to destroy,
to go on cutting nations to pieces without limit.
For he has said:
‘By the strength of my own arm I have done this
and by my own intelligence, for understanding is mine;
I have pushed back the frontiers of peoples
and plundered their treasures.
I have brought their inhabitants down to the dust.
As if they were a bird’s nest, my hand has seized
the riches of the peoples.
As people pick up deserted eggs
I have picked up the whole earth,
with not a wing fluttering,
not a beak opening, not a chirp.’
Does the axe claim more credit than the man who wields it,
or the saw more strength than the man who handles it?
It would be like the cudgel controlling the man who raises it,
or the club moving what is not made of wood!
And so the Lord of Hosts is going to send
a wasting sickness on his stout warriors;
beneath his plenty, a burning will burn
like a consuming fire.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 93(94):5-10,14-15 |
The Lord will not abandon his people.
They crush your people, Lord,
they afflict the ones you have chosen
They kill the widow and the stranger
and murder the fatherless child.
The Lord will not abandon his people.
And they say: ‘The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob pays no heed.’
Mark this, most senseless of people;
fools, when will you understand?
The Lord will not abandon his people.
Can he who made the ear, not hear?
Can he who formed the eye, not see?
Will he who trains nations not punish?
Will he who teaches men, not have knowledge?
The Lord will not abandon his people.
The Lord will not abandon his people
nor forsake those who are his own;
for judgement shall again be just
and all true hearts shall uphold it.
The Lord will not abandon his people.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 11:25-27 |
You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little children
Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
PRIDE IS THE CAUSE OF OUR DOWNFALL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 10:5-7, 13-16; MT 11:25-27]
The axiom that pride goes before a man’s destruction is profoundly true. Pride manifests in many ways and stems from different sources. It can arise from our accomplishments, as it did with the King of Assyria, or it can come from knowledge, as seen in the Pharisees and the Scribes. Whether it takes the form of overconfidence and self-glorification, or the belief that we know everything or more than others, pride ultimately serves to destroy us. It blinds us to the truth about ourselves and who we are. When we think too highly of ourselves and even attempt to supplant the place of God, we have arrived at the height of arrogance. This is the essence of humanism: believing we do not need God because we think we can solve all problems by ourselves. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the New Age mentality similarly displays this pride by claiming that we are all gods.
Indeed, pride in himself, his might, and his achievements was the downfall of the King of Assyria. It is true that Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, conquered the kingdom of Israel and sent the people into exile. As a result, the new King of Assyria, Sennacherib, was emboldened to overthrow the rulers of Judah and capture the city. He believed that with his military might and power, he could bring Judah entirely under his control. With great arrogance and insolence, he boasted to all, “By the strength of my own arm I have done this and by my own intelligence, for understanding is mine; I have pushed back the frontiers of peoples and plundered their treasures. I have brought their inhabitants down to the dust. As if they were a bird’s nest, my hand has seized the riches of the peoples. As people pick up deserted eggs, I have picked up the whole earth, with not a wing fluttering, not a beak opening, not a chirp.”
The truth is, he did not realise that all power lies in the hands of God. If God does not give us our talents and strength, we are capable of nothing. In fact, regardless of who we are — whether we are working for God or for ourselves — God remains in control of the world and its destiny. He will make use of us to achieve His purpose, whether we recognise it or not. As the Lord of hosts says, “Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger, the club brandished by me in my fury! I sent him against a godless nation; I gave him commission against a people that provokes me, to pillage and to plunder freely and to stamp down like the mud in the streets. But he did not plan it so. No, in his heart was to destroy, to go on cutting nations to pieces without limit.” This was the very same lesson that Jesus gave to Pilate during His trial.
Without God’s permission, Assyria could not have conquered Samaria; it was merely a rod employed by God to bring Israel to repentance. Indeed, the Lord asked, “Does the axe claim more credit than the man who wields it or the saw more strength than the man who handles it? It would be like the cudgel controlling the man who raises it, or the club moving what is not made of wood!” The answer is obvious. Without the power of God as the efficient cause, the tool is powerless. We are simply instruments of His love. The psalmist warns us, “And they say: ‘The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.’ Mark this, most senseless of people; fools, when will you understand? Can he who made the ear, not hear? Can he who formed the eye, not see? Will he who trains nations not punish? Will he who teaches men, not have knowledge?”
This warning applies to many of us today as well. How many of us truly believe that our success is due to the grace of God? We might pay lip service to God, saying our success is due to His grace and mercy, but deep in our hearts, we believe we are the ones who deserve the credit. We think it is solely due to our hard work and ingenuity that we have become successful. If we were truly conscious that everything comes from His grace alone, we would be filled with gratitude. We would become humbler before Him for being so gracious to us.
A true sign that we believe our success is a result of His grace, rather than our own work, is found in our faith in Christ expressed through prayer. To pray is to acknowledge our finiteness. It means seeking His direction and wisdom in all things, desiring only to do His holy will. Only those who are humble can understand the ways of the Lord. As Jesus exclaimed, “I bless you Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.” Without humility, we cannot learn anything from anyone — least of all from God. Only with humility can we have true faith and place our trust in Him. Humility allows us to surrender ourselves to the will of God in faith, even when we do not understand why certain things happen in our lives, especially when tragedies strike.
Jesus is our ultimate example of someone who knew His place. He was fully conscious that He was the Son, sent by the Father, and His entire life and ministry were rooted in the Father’s love. Hence, He could confidently claim, “Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” In St. John’s Gospel, Jesus made it clear that He was doing the works of the Father, and that He does whatever the Father wills. He came solely to do the Father’s will. Because of His deeply personal relationship with His Father, and His knowledge of the Father’s heart, He could confidently commit Himself to the divine plan.
Consequently, we must come to Jesus, who alone can lead us to the Father and reveal His plan for us. Only in Christ can we appreciate the Father’s plan, especially in times of trial, crisis, tragedy, and misfortune. When we know that God is in control, we have no reason to panic. Whether in good health or sickness, in success or failure, in good times or bad, we can remain calm because we know that God will not abandon us, just as the psalmist testified: “They crush your people, Lord, they afflict the ones you have chosen. They kill the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless child,” yet still he declared, “The Lord will not abandon his people nor forsake those who are his own; for judgement shall again be just and all true hearts shall uphold it.”
The consequence of failing to realise the sovereignty of God — and that He is the source of life and all that we are — is to end in failure, disappointment, and disillusionment. A time will come when we find that despite all our careful planning, things do not work out. Our plans can be easily derailed by developments and situations completely beyond our control. For instance, during the march of King Sennacherib and his army, they were apparently struck down by an epidemic that caused many to fall sick and die. Historians have suggested that this may have been an outbreak of dengue fever. This aligns with what the prophet foretold: “And so the Lord of hosts is going to send a wasting sickness on his stout warriors; beneath his plenty, a burning will burn like a consuming fire.”
When we reach that stage without faith, we risk giving up on life and falling into depression because of our failures — especially when we have expended so much of our time and energy. We become bitter and angry with God when, in reality, we never truly believed in Him, His grace, or His power over us. Tragic indeed is the person who thinks too highly of himself and lacks the humility to rely on the Lord. He will ultimately end up in nihilism, as many atheists do when faced with suffering and disappointment. If we do not want to walk that slippery path, let us choose the path of humility before God instead. This is a sure path to life, especially for those in leadership: to walk humbly before God and His people.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
