THEOSISAmbrose of Milan
When you put off fulfilling your pledge, you are, in essence, not fulfilling it at all. A vow represents a supplication to God paired with a promise of gratitude through some form of return, so once you receive what you sought, it is ungrateful to delay your response. However, some individuals may neglect their promises through carelessness, or, in their pride and arrogance, they claim their good fortune as a result of their own attributes and fail to acknowledge the true Benefactor, believing they are the architects of their blessings. There is a third type of sin that, while slightly less severe, shares traits with pride: some individuals acknowledge God as the source of goodness yet feel entitled to these blessings as a result of their own wisdom and virtuous actions.
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They see themselves as deserving of divine grace, failing to consider that they might be unworthy of such favor. To prevent this attitude and to ensure that your prayers are not deemed sinful, the law provides guidance through the words of the Lord who established it: Take heed to yourself, lest you forget the favors of the Lord your God, and forget His commandments, and His statutes, and His righteousness, which today I command you. When you eat and are satisfied, and when you build pleasant homes and settle in them, and when you gather abundant flocks and herds, and your silver and gold multiply, and everything that you have increases, be cautious that your heart does not become proud and that you do not forget the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 8:11-14). To forget the Lord is to lose sight of your own nature: recognizing your frailty and understanding that God is sovereign will remind you to honor Him appropriately.