In today’s teaching, Fr. Mark Baron reflects on the meaning of sin as turning away from God and the order He established for our flourishing. God desires to transform us toward goodness, but when we reject His ways and choose to live according to our own desires, we can fall into selfishness, excessive self-love, pride, and narcissism. Sin distorts the good gifts God has given us and prevents those gifts from being directed toward their true purpose: growing in goodness, holiness, and love.
Fr. Mark also reflects on excellence and pride. Developing knowledge, virtue, authority, or skill in areas such as science, art, and other disciplines is good; these abilities can be received with gratitude as gifts from God. The danger comes when we begin to see our excellence as entirely the result of our own efforts and use it for self-exaltation. True excellence recognizes God as the source of our gifts and uses them humbly in the service of what is good. Pride, by contrast, places the self above God and turns His gifts away from their proper purpose.

Readings for September 10th 2026: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090526.cfm
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