Of Holy Virginity 44
44 Section 44 PL 40, 422
44. Next let not man, now that he knoweth that by the grace of God he is what he is, fall into another snare of pride, so as by lifting up himself for the very grace of God to despise the rest. By which fault that other Pharisee both gave thanks unto God for the goods which he had, and yet vaunted himself above the Publican confessing his sins. What therefore should a virgin do, what should she think, that she vaunt not herself above those, men or women, who have not this so great gift? For she ought not to feign humility, but to set it forth: for the feigning of humility is greater pride. Wherefore Scripture wishing to show that humility ought to be true, after having said, “By how much thou art great, by so much humble thyself in all things,” added soon after, “And thou shalt find grace before God:” assuredly where one could not humble one’s self deceitfully.
De ipso Dei dono ne se extollant virgines. Deinde jam sciens homo, gratia Dei se esse quod est, non incidat in alium superbiae laqueum, ut de ipsa Dei gratia se extollendo spernat caeteros. Quo vitio alius ille pharisaeus, et de bonis quae habebat Deo gratias agebat, et tamen se super publicanum peccata confitentem extollebat . Quid igitur faciat virgo, quid cogitet, ne se extollat super eos vel eas quae hoc tam magno dono carent? Neque enim simulare debet humilitatem, sed exhibere: nam simulatio humilitatis major superbia est. Idcirco Scriptura volens ostendere veracem humilitatem esse oportere, cum dixisset, Quanto magnus es, tanto humilia te in omnibus; mox quoque subdidit, et coram Deo invenies gratiam : utique ubi se fallaciter humiliare non posset.