I would share a few last thoughts on the 22nd Step of John’s Ladder, VAINGLORY. John remarks that vainglory induces pride in the favored and resentment in those who are slighted. If we always held back on complimenting people but never on criticizing them, we would be creating a very grim world. Just about everyone is vainglorious and prideful to some degree, and we must acknowledge that imperfection in others as well as ourselves. It is far from helpful to assume that everyone should deal with criticism like a saint, when the reality is they are far from attaining the virtue of humility.

Vainglory is to be found not only in the ungodly, but also in the most devout Christians. Sometimes there is no difference between the two. Many of us Christians want exactly the same kind of admiration others desire. But in the most devout we find the worst kind of vainglory: a desire to be admired for our piety. This is where vainglory becomes so tragically deep that we are in danger of rendering repentance nearly impossible. For even what we think of as our repentance is in fact vainglory. Thus we end up living one life in private and another life in public, for our faith is in fact nothing more than a show.

The religious kind of vainglory is worse because it passes itself off as religious devotion, as something virtuous. A vainglorious Christian may observe the fasts of the Church when with other Christians, but at home does not observe them at all; he may appear to pray ardently in church, but at home is lazy about prayer. In other words, vainglory is duplicitous. We act one way with one person, another way with another person, and yet another way when alone. Usually it is when we are alone that we are our true selves, but with others we are forever putting on an act. This is why John writes that vainglory is a loss of simplicity and a hypocritical mode of behavior, and the servant of vainglory leads a double life.

A positive goal is to be oneself in all situations. Your private self should also be your public self.