We are continuing our meditation on St. Paul's definition of Love. We have covered patience, and tackled kindness , we thought about envy. Now we consider boastfulness.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
Boasting is extolling oneself, usually in words. Boasting is opposed to truth, by way of excess, when one boasts of what one has but in excess, or by way of what one does not have, which is a lie. (Proverbs 28:25): "He that boasts, and puffs himself up, stirs up quarrels."
There are two forms of boasting, one is to create the illusion in one's own mind of your greatness. The second is to create a deception of your greatness in the minds of others. (2 Corinthians 12:5): ” I will not boast about myself, except to tell you of my humiliations.”
Even if your boasting comes from a fear of being inferior. This boasting still springs from vainglory and pride. If we are inferior to others that can be reality, at least at that moment. And so what? We are what we are in God's eyes. What others think does not make us better or worse. One's desire for self importance comes from pride and vainglory, and lacks humility. Marcus Aurelius wrote in his Meditations: "Do you wish to be praised by a man who curses himself thrice every hour?" Often people's criticisms are an extension of their own insecurities.
The humble person does not seek honor. Boasting seeks honors or sometimes gain. It can seek gain in money by boasting of how great an investment is, and having people invest under this delusion. It could also be used by suitors looking for a spouse. Boasting of their virtues or their riches and by so doing win the person's love. Proverbs 27:2: "Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth–a stranger, not your own lips."
Boasting can also come in group forms: boasting of one's family, or community, ethnic group, or country. This usually springs from the desire of belittling other groups, and a lack of love of one’s family as they are in reality. By boasting, we love a family that doesn’t exist, we are embarrassed by our real family as it is.
While love of your family or country can be a virtue, virtue is found in the mean (middle) not in the excess, which boasting is by definition. We can feel a sense of pride in real accomplishments, but not at the expense of truth or desire to humiliate.
Boasting is opposed to Love because it is selfish and a lie, seeking one’s own glory and not God’s first.
we will continue with love is not proud.
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