7 Deadly Sins…..Read These

Many of these great sins, murder, adultery, stealing, malice, lying, etc. have root causes, >>>>> Pride

Pride was the devil’s great sin, as he wanted to be like God, and rebelled. There are 7 basic kinds of sin, that lead to all others, known as the Seven Deadly sins. It takes heroic virtue in most cases to overcome these. Most of us are afflicted greatly with at least one or two of these.

And once you give in to one of these sins, the spirits of the other 6 will be only too glad to come into your soul also. All of these sins will lead you directly to hell. To understand what hell is like, click here. Our Own Site!

1 John 2:16: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.

In the above scripture, St.John talks about three basic types of sin – The lust of the flesh (gluttony, lust, sloth), the lust of the eyes (greed), and the pride of life (pride, envy, anger). Overcoming these things should be our life’s work.

 Lust ……..This pertains to and not limited to, watching porn on television, undressing other’s with your eyes, prostitutes, if its in this category then it is still SIN

Greed………. Anyone which only cares about what they can get out of someone, and or over charge someone, etc. Anything which pertains to this category is still SIN.

“He who loves money never has money enough” Ecclesiastes 5:10 / Sirach 5:8

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”  Exodus 20:17

“But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.'”  Psalm 31:14

There are at least three forms of greed:

• an obsessive desire for ever more material goods and the attendant power
• a fearful need to store up surplus goods for a vaguely defined time of want
• a desire for more earthly goods for their own sake

The Greed of Power

In this form, earthly goods are chiefly a means to an end, which is really not that far off from a healthy view. The money, real estate, cars are simply things used to achieve, wield and display personal power. These things can be used to intimidate or bribe others, reinforce one’s own illusions about what is important or to build up a feeling of success. The “products of wealth,” as the Jethro Tull.

The real problem here is more the desire for power than the actual greed. A common thread for sin in general is that it is often borne out of fear. A fear of helplessness or loss of control can turn into a lust for power as a way of preventing an undesirable situation. The parable of the man with an abundant harvest is well worth considering.

To destroy our desire for power, we must be generous in granting power to others. When appropriate, be submissive to others. Avoid jobs that are a temptation for a “power grab.”

Share credit for successes with others, and claim a fair share of responsibility for failures being blamed on others. The idea is to stop trying to control everything and everyone. In parenting, this means encouraging children to find their own way, and respecting their choices.

It does not mean abdicating legitimate responsibilities, but loosening our grip on others’ lives as well as our own. God will take care of us, He has the plan. We can’t control everything anyway, so we might as well learn to relax in God’s hands.

Gluttony…….. The chief error about Gluttony is to think it only pertains to food. Some people can’t have enough toys, television, entertainment, sex, or company. It is about an excess of anything.

There are at least three forms of Gluttony:

• Wanting more pleasure from something than it was made for
• Wanting it exactly our way (delicacy)
• Demanding too much from people (excessive desire for other people’s time or presence)

The Good News

Because Gluttony is generally a sin of the flesh, the flesh limits it. If we consume too much food or drink, our body (usually) lets us know, either by gaining weight or illness. If we are too fussy about things (delicacy), people will tell us to do it ourselves. And if we demand too much from people, they will fly from us and we will be alone more often. So, we usually get a view of the problem, and a chance to change.

It is said that St. Thomas More was an exceptionally fun person to be around, so much so that King Henry VIII of England kept calling for him, preventing Thomas from going home to his family. Thomas eventually began to curtail his merrymaking so that he was more dull company. This strategy worked, and he was able to live at home more often.

The cure for Gluttony lies in deliberately reducing our use of pleasurable things, not in eliminating them. When eating, quit before feeling stuffed. When snacking, don’t just keep stuffing, but quit after a while. With people, allow some quiet time together, and also get some time alone. Of course, if time alone is very pleasurable, get out more often. And if the toast is a bit too brown, eat it anyway.

Envy

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 Corinthians 13:4

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. Envy with Anger and Pride as the sins of “Perverted Love.”

The other two groups are “Insufficient Love” and “Excessive Love of Earthly Goods.”

Envy is perverted because it “loves” what other people possess, rather than what is Good, Beautiful and True. It is often portrayed as “eating away” the heart of the envious person.

Dante shows the envious as among those farthest away from Paradise, with their eyes sewn shut, but weeping over their sins. Again, a common metaphor for Envy is “wearing out the eyes.”

Anger

“Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” Matthew 5:22

Now the works of the flesh are plain:

1. fornication
2. impurity
3. licentiousness
4. idolatry
5. sorcery
6. enmity
7. strife
8. jealousy
9. anger
10. selfishness
11. dissension
12. factions
13. envy
14. drunkenness
15. carousing and the like

I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.”  Galatians 5:19-21
“A mild answer calms wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1

Is Anger Always A Sin?

As with many other passions, anger (or wrath) may be an emotion or an attitude. If all anger is sinful, how is it that God is described as “angry” in the Old Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures), or that Jesus became angry at least twice according to the Gospels. Of course, some people say Jesus wasn’t really angry as he drove the money changers out of the temple with “a kind of whip made of cords” (John 2:15).

Read the Gospel: Jesus was angry. If Jesus got angry, it must be right, because he never sinned. So we can get angry?

Anger as a Decision

Some say we can’t control our emotions, but we “choose” our emotions from our “emotional toolbox.” If anger is in our heart already, events will bring it out. If we have let God give us peace, our reaction to events will reflect this: we may respond to offenses or accidents with humor, kindness and patience, because that is what is in our heart.

But if we still have anger in our heart, what do we do in the meantime?

Once the anger wells up and starts to spill out, we have an ongoing decision: let it out or refuse to participate. This is not a matter of holding it in. It is a matter of starving it but refusing to feed it.

Anger always dissipates eventually, so we can just let it happen sooner by not holding on to it and refusing to enjoy it. People enjoy their anger. Think about it; you will find it is true.

Even though we may feel terrible later, we enjoy the power of anger while we are giving ourselves to it. We get an adrenaline rush and forget all the bad things about ourselves.

Anger Belongs to the Righteous

Every angry person feels righteous. When we are angry we concentrate on the object of it and forget everything else. It is Judgment Day, and we are playing God. Parenting may be the worst situation of all. An angry parent faces a small, helpless child and truly is an awesome force. The child can be frightened beyond belief, and the parent may come to enjoy this feeling, especially if the parent feels helpless in the face of others. Supervisors can intimidate employees in the same way, teachers do it to students, administrators to teachers, and schoolmates even bully each other.

The key is that only the righteous have a “right” to be angry. Appropriately, this is called “righteous indignation.” There are rare cases where we are angry for the right reason: when we hear someone make racist remarks, lie to destroy someone else’s reputation, or commits a heinous crime.

However, none of us is truly righteous: we do wrong things, too. Given our own sins, we are in no position to judge, and righteous anger implies a kind of judgment, at least of an action. We aren’t called to stand high above other people but with them. We fail, and we desire compassion and patience from others.

Many times, our anger over situations is not due to the situations’ actual morality, but is because they conflict with our own ideas about what is good. And our ideals are not always God’s.

A good deal of self-examination is required: why am I really angry? Is God angry about this? If not, do I claim to be more righteous than God?

This may be the most helpful idea in dealing with anger: is God angry about it? We had better know God very well, though, or we may simply make God in our own image and then have Him bless everything we do.

So, righteous anger is simply a matter of agreeing with God over serious matters. However, God really doesn’t need our anger, so something more productive is called for: action on behalf of good. In all the Gospel, Jesus spent almost no time being angry, and in each case it was very short lived. If we are angry often, it is most probably not righteous anger.

Lastly: if we believe we should be angry because we want to agree with God, then are we also compassionate for the same reason.

1. Do we agree agree with His mercy?
2. Do we genuinely try to follow the full Gospel or do we pick and choose?
3. Are we prepared to humble ourselves for the sake of others as Jesus did?
4. Do we remember God’s patience and mercy in His dealings with us?

The safest course is first to imitate God’s mercy, compassion, humility, gentleness and above all, love. When these are in our hearts, perhaps we may also have some righteous anger.

Pride

“The Devil, the proud spirit, cannot endure to be mocked.”  St. Thomas More, 16th Century

“God is stern in dealing with the arrogant, but to the humble He shows kindness.” Proverbs 3:34

“Hatred of God comes from pride. It is contrary to the love of God …”

Overweening pride, arrogance, haughtiness: these have been the stuff of tragedy.

Vanity, fussiness, delicacy: the stuff of comedy. These are all forms of self-delusion, and paper-thin masks over rotting features. Pride and vanity refuse the truth about who we are and substitute illusions for reality.

While vanity is mostly concerned with appearance, pride is based in a real desire to be God, at least in one’s own circle.

The first requirement of pride is spiritual blindness. Any glimpse of God reveals our frailty and sinfulness, just as a well-lit bathroom mirror shows the flaws in our complexion. Like Oedipus, we are driven to gouge out our eyes at the sight of our wretchedness and wander away from our heavenly home, with no purpose or direction.

Unlike Oedipus, we build up myriad illusions about who we are and what we are about. We can busy ourselves with career, family and even church work, thinking we are being driven by a strong work ethic, moral values or the fire of the Holy Spirit. In reality, we may be running away from God by running away from ourselves. Nearly everyone else can see that we are putting on a show, but not us. Our coworkers may hate us (they are just jealous), our children may self-destruct or leave us (they are ungrateful), and we may never truly pray but merely stand in the presence of a god we have created, but we still refuse to see.

A second requirement of pride, indeed a symptom, is that each challenge to our pride drives us harder to improve our illusion of productivity, sanctity or compassion. It has been said that the definition of a zealot is “one who has lost sight of his goal, and so redoubles his efforts.” We might say the zealot works twice as hard to keep up appearances.

When we hear sermons about pride, or read this text, we may be tempted to think of all the people we know who really need to read it. We need to read it.

Pride is about us, and we would love to retain our illusions by pointing to others, saying: “But they are very proud. I really don’t think I’m that great, but they do.”

The best pride detector is this: how much are we bothered by the pride of others? And if we feel attacked, is our response: “other people are worse.”

A strong indicator of pride is competitiveness. There is nothing wrong with playing to win, provided the joy is in the playing. If our happiness depends on defeating others or knowing our child is the star of the team, we are building a world of illusion.

At death, all illusions are stripped away. God’s judgment will not take into account our bank balance, how much we own, how smart our children are or how much self-esteem we have. All that will matter is whether He recognizes us (Matthew 25:12).

There are several ways to destroy Pride, and they must all be taken together:

1. Be grateful to anyone and everyone
2. Treat even the things people are expected to do as great gifts
3. Be grateful for your food, your change at Burger King, rain, life itself
4. Thank everyone
5. Beg forgiveness of God for the sin of Pride. Go before Him in prayer every day or every few hours and implore His mercy.
6. The more this offends you, the more Pride you have.
7. Ask God for a spirit of Humility and Gratitude. Read Philippians 2:3-11 and imitate it.

1. Understand that without God’s Grace, we will never cast away our illusions.
2. Ask God to break your pride and vanity using whatever it takes: illness, loss of friends, loss of family, public humiliation.

This is unbelievably difficult to request, and every fiber of our being fights it. We protest it is not fair, or “God doesn’t work that way.” My friend, what good is health, friends, family, a good reputation, if you have no real love for God, but only a hollow illusion?

In the end, all but true love for God is lost, so count all else but God as loss now.

Sloth

“His master replied, `You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?”  Matthew 25:26

“If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.” Ecclesiastes 10:18

But I Do Lots of Stuff!

Most people think of sloth as laziness, not doing much of anything, but just sitting around doing nothing.

Many people stay busy most of the time but don’t do the things they should, putting them off for later. They may be staying busy so they have an excuse.

Sloth (or acedia) is a kind of spiritual laziness (as opposed to mere physical fatigue or depression). It means not making it a priority to do what we should, or change what we should in ourselves.

Some people might call it apathy, which means a lack of feeling.

An example might be a parent that always sends their child to bed early so they can have lots of quiet time to play solitaire or watch TV. Perhaps they could let the child stay up a little later and play a game with them or read. Or perhaps they always tell their child “no!” without taking the trouble to explain why…

Another example could be someone active in a political movement. Perhaps they don’t bother to read other opinions and so never question whether their group is right or wrong. As a result, they could support some very wrong beliefs, such as racism, because they never tried to find the truth.

In business, some people never check into the laws to see if their practices are illegal. For Christians, we sometimes don’t really want to know what the Bible (or our Church) teaches about something, so we put off reading or asking about it.

Sloth is quite possibly the main reason why people don’t read good spiritual books. They will read Christian fiction or some odd Gnostic gospel instead that “tickles their ears,” but never the ones that could call them to action: loving their neighbor, helping the poor, telling the truth.

Lastly, there might be a student who naturally picks everything up with very little effort.

Instead of learning more than required, or doing volunteer work, they might just sit around getting high or gossiping. Not because it is fun, but because they just don’t care.

It should be noted that vices often are disguised as virtues. So sloth is often disguised as calmness, serenity, keeping a level head, open mindedness, etc… If sloth is the reality, people will get very defensive.

The Capital Virtues, which are the opposite of the seven deadly sins, are as follows:

Chastity – It overcomes the sin of lust Mark 7:21 1 Cor 3:16

Chastity moderates desire for sexual pleasure, the body’s most imperious passion, according to principles of faith and right reason.

Chastity opposes acts or thoughts that are inconsistent with Church teaching about the use of our reproductive powers to prevent defilement of the soul.

Jesus said, “From within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.”

St. Paul added, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are.”

The practice of chastity is control of our thoughts and discipline of our senses, especially the eyes. It is greatly assisted by modesty and purity.

Chastity is one of the seven capital virtues. The others are humility, liberality, brotherly love, meekness, temperance, and diligence. They are called capital because all the virtues we strive to practice are said to flow from these seven capital virtues. Chastity is opposed to the capital sin of lust.

The virtue of chastity is also one of the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Liberality – It overcomes the sin of Greed

(Generosity)

Liberality is a spirit of generosity for a proper and worthy charity that may involve the donation of our time, our money, or other possessions.

Liberality is one of the seven capital virtues. The others are humility, brotherly love, meekness, chastity, temperance, and diligence.

They are called capital because all the virtues we strive to practice are said to flow from these seven capital virtues. Liberality is opposed to the capital sin of avarice.

Liberality is completely different from the political philosophy of liberalism.

Liberality is personal rather than social, and consistent with a well formed Catholic conscience.

Temperance – It overcomes the sin of Gluttony

Temperance is the virtue that moderates the desire for pleasure. It regulates every form of enjoyment that comes from the exercise of human volition, and includes all those virtues, especially humility, that restrain the inordinate movements of our desires or appetites.

In particular, temperance is the obverse of fortitude. Where fortitude limits rashness and fear in the case of major pain that threatens to unbalance human nature, temperance limits inordinate desire for major pleasures.

Since pleasure follows from all natural activity, the most intense pleasure follows from the most natural activities particularly the pleasures of food and drink, and of the marital act.

Temperance is one of the four cardinal virtues; the others are prudence, justice, and fortitude.

Temperance is also is one of the seven capital virtues. The others are humility, liberality, brotherly love, meekness, chastity, and diligence.

They are called capital because all the virtues we strive to practice are said to flow from these seven capital virtues. Temperance is opposed to the capital sin of gluttony.

Temperance is also related to the virtue of continence.

Brotherly Love – It overcomes the sin of Envy Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39, John 13:34, Matthew 5:44

Brotherly love is happiness in response to another’s success. God commanded that we love one another. We are to treat even our enemies with brotherly love because we are all children of the same heavenly Father

“Love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Brotherly love is one of the seven capital virtues. The others are humility, liberality, meekness, chastity, temperance, and diligence.

They are called capital because all the virtues we strive to practice are said to flow from these seven capital virtues.

Brotherly love is opposed to the capital sin of envy.

Meekness– It overcomes the sin of Anger Matthew 5:5

Meekness is a form of temperance that controls every inordinate resentment at another’s character or behavior. We approach meekness by cultivating patient thoughts.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Meekness is one of the seven capital virtues. The others are humility, liberality, brotherly love, chastity, temperance, and diligence. They are called capital because all the virtues we strive to practice are said to flow from these seven capital virtues. Meekness is opposed to the capital sin of wrath.

Humility – It overcomes the sin of Pride

The capital virtue that recognizes our total dependence on God.

A humble person considering his own defects has a lowly opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God’s sake.

Humility is also opposed to immoderate self-abjection, which fails to recognize God’s gifts and use them according to His will.

Humility is one of the seven capital virtues. The others are liberality, brotherly love, meekness, chastity, temperance, and diligence.

They are called capital because all the virtues we strive to practice are said to flow from these seven capital virtues. Humility is opposed to the capital sin of pride.

Humility is not the highest of the virtues. That honor, by tradition, belongs to the three theological virtues, faith, hope and particularly charity. However, humility is the first of the capital virtues because it is opposed to pride, the first of the seven capital sins.

Diligence– It overcomes the sin of sloth Matthew 5:3-12

The decision to fulfill all of the responsibilities in our vocation or state in life.

“The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God; it is fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude. It is essential to a human being freely to direct himself to this fulfillment. By his deliberate actions, the human person does, or does not, conform to the good promised by God and attested by moral conscience.”

Every human person has the vocation to divine beatitude, explained in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

In addition to this common vocation, we also have particular vocations depending on our state in life. In general, the husband is called to work for a living, participate in raising his family, and protect his home.

The wife is called to bear children, to raise and educate them, and create a good home environment.

Retired persons in adequate physical condition are called to contribute their time and accumulated knowledge and skills to the Church in particular and the community in general.

Persons who suffer greatly from physical ailments are called to offer up their suffering in union with Christ’s suffering on the Cross.

Diligence includes suitable recreation, particularly on the Lord’s Day after Mass, after we have fulfilled our responsibilities.

Diligence is one of the seven capital virtues. The others are humility, liberality, brotherly love, meekness, chastity, and temperance. They are called capital because all the virtues we strive to practice are said to flow from these seven capital virtues.

Diligence is opposed to the capital sin of sloth.

The child is called to learn his lessons and help with household chores.

How do you get these virtues?

Prayer, prayer, prayer. And fasting also helps, a lot (Mark 9:29). After all, if our enemy is the flesh, it would seem that to overcome this enemy, you must starve it, just like you would if you could starve your enemy to death in wartime.