Many months ago, I wrote on the fact that egotism hinders the work of the virtues in the Church and weakens the Church. Here is one of the articles on this.
Garrigou-Lagrange actually describes the same problems with greater emphasis on sin as one sees in psychological treatises on narcissism.
The problem is that we are all living in societies which not only tolerate egoism, but encourage this state.
Those egoists in charge of churches, parishes, families work on the premise that somehow "their gifts" are necessary for the growth of the Church, when in reality only those who have become humble and are working with God's gifts in and through the life of virtue can really do the work of God.
How much we have forgotten in these days of hero-worship of super-stars, or personal idolatry of the self.
This could be a predominant fault for some.
The old phrase, "Let go and let God" applies to the egoist, if he wants to attain heaven.
Egoism is like a cancer of the will, which ravages it more and more, whereas sanctifying grace should be in it like a strong root which buries itself ever deeper in the soil in order to draw therefrom nourishing secretions and transform them into fruitful sap. We should think of the value of habitual grace, called the "grace of the virtues and the gifts," because of various proximate principles of meritorious acts springing from it. We would do well to consider that our will should possess a high degree of the virtues of justice, penance, religion, hope, and charity in order that its powers may be vastly increased.
The author of The Imitation thus describes inordinate self-love when he has Christ say: "My son, thou must give all for all, and be nothing of thy own. Know that the love of thyself is more hurtful to thee than anything of the world. . . . If thy love be pure, simple, and well ordered, thou shalt not be in captivity to anything. Covet not that which thou mayest not have. Seek not to have that which may embarrass thee and deprive thee of thy inward liberty. It is wonderful that thou wilt not, from the very bottom of thy heart, commit thyself wholly to Me, with all things that thou canst desire or have. Why dost thou pine away with vain grief? Why art thou so worn with superfluous cares? Be resigned to My good pleasure, and thou shalt suffer no loss. If thou seekest this or that, or wouldst be here or there for thy own interests' sake, and the more to indulge thy own will, thou wilt never be at rest or free from solicitude; for in everything there will be found some defect, and in every place therewill be someone that will cross thee." (14)
