No One Should Be Proud
Chapter V. That no one should be proud, but rather glory in the Cross of the Lord
"Be attentive, oh man, to how many excellent things the Lord God has placed in you, since He created and formed you 'to the image' of His own Beloved Son according to the body 'and to (His) likeness' according to the spirit (cf. Gen. 1:26). And all the creatures, which are under heaven, after you serve, know and obey their Creator better than you. And even the demons did not crucify Him, but you with them have crucified Him and even now you crucify (Him) by delighting in vices and sins. Whence therefore can you glory? For if you were so subtle and wise that you had 'all knowledge' (cf. 1 Cor. 13:2) and knew how to interpret every 'kind of tongue' (cf. 1 Cor. 12:28) and to search subtly after celestial things, in all these things you cannot glory; since one demon knew of celestial things and now knows of earthly things more than all men, (even) granted that there has been someone, who received from the Lord a special understanding of the highest wisdom. Similarly even if you were more handsome and wealthy than all and even if you were working miracles, as would put demons to flight, all those things are injurious to you and nothing (about them) pertains to you and you can glory in them not at all. But in this we can glory, 'in' our 'infirmities' (cf. 2 Cor. 12:5) and bearing each day the Holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Lk. 14:27)."
~St. Francis of Assisi
"Be attentive, oh man, to how many excellent things the Lord God has placed in you, since He created and formed you 'to the image' of His own Beloved Son according to the body 'and to (His) likeness' according to the spirit (cf. Gen. 1:26). And all the creatures, which are under heaven, after you serve, know and obey their Creator better than you. And even the demons did not crucify Him, but you with them have crucified Him and even now you crucify (Him) by delighting in vices and sins. Whence therefore can you glory? For if you were so subtle and wise that you had 'all knowledge' (cf. 1 Cor. 13:2) and knew how to interpret every 'kind of tongue' (cf. 1 Cor. 12:28) and to search subtly after celestial things, in all these things you cannot glory; since one demon knew of celestial things and now knows of earthly things more than all men, (even) granted that there has been someone, who received from the Lord a special understanding of the highest wisdom. Similarly even if you were more handsome and wealthy than all and even if you were working miracles, as would put demons to flight, all those things are injurious to you and nothing (about them) pertains to you and you can glory in them not at all. But in this we can glory, 'in' our 'infirmities' (cf. 2 Cor. 12:5) and bearing each day the Holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Lk. 14:27)."
~St. Francis of Assisi
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