For my weekly writing spot on this site, see the One-Minute Mystic, with a new meditation posted every Monday. Also see The Village, the story of Misty Longings, England's most beautiful village, posted episode by episode earlier this year.       You're lucky to know me     Is it right to tell the truth? The traditional answer is 'Yes'. But if the truth is my superiority, then suddenly it's arrogance. So how much do the footballer Christiano Ronaldo and Jesus have in common – apart from the name? The Real Madrid striker Ronaldo recently reflected on why he was booed by football fans. He felt the main reason was that he was 'rich, good looking and brilliant.' He was not widely applauded in the press for these remarks, who declared him to be various versions of a 'scum bag'. But as each football-loving male choked on his insolence, there was also the awareness that it was probably true. We are most hostile to those who threaten us in some way and Ronaldo's 52 goals in the Spanish league last season was very threatening to many teams. The fact that he's also earning ridiculous money and has the body of a god just adds further fuel to male fires of jealousy and hatred. The football manger Brian Clough set the bench mark for self-admiration. 'Rome wasn't built in a day,' he said, 'but then I wasn't on that job.' But he could also display a more humble and reflective side: 'I do not know whether I'm the best manager but I'm certainly in the top one.' And then there was the BBC interview in which he was looking back on his life: 'That Frank Sinatra – he met me once.' He divided opinion in his day. Widely regarded as 'the best manger England never had' the Football Association didn't like this cock of the walk. But with the passing of time, we now look on his ego with a fondness, almost nostalgia. 'Remember old Cloughie and the things he'd say? Good days, eh?' It's true that he gave his arrogance a comic edge which sweetens the pill. But it's also true that he no longer threatens us. We embrace dead egos with more enthusiasm than those still alive. So is it wrong to make grand claims for ourselves? It's normally the refuge of the insecure, but according to the gospels, Jesus was all for it. Here we meet a man who was very clear about his status. He didn't say he was 'rich, good looking and brilliant' but he did say he was God, which rather trumps it. And most Christians love him for it. 'He can say those things. After all, he's God!' We'll be mindful of arrogance in humble attire. Enthroned on deep Vatican coffers and with an unparalleled emotional grip on the psyche of millions, it's disingenuous of the papacy to adopt the title 'servant of the servants of God.' Uriah Heep makes it to the Sistine Chapel. As a rule of thumb, self-promotion sounds neither truthful nor attractive in our own mouths and will stir hostility. As one football fan said of Ronaldo, 'He has the sort of face you'd never tire of punching.' More writings © Simon Parke