Concupiscence is a word with which most Catholics are generally familiar. However, this word carries some nuances that we should know because a better understanding can benefit us spiritually. Through this understanding, we will see how God uses it to increase our holiness.
Etymology of Concupiscence
The word concupiscence comes from the Latin word concupiscentia. The etymological breakdown follows: Con means intensely. Cupere means to desire. The inchoative suffix –isc denotes coming into existence. And the suffix –entia, which means a state or quality, turns a verb into an abstract noun. It is similar to putting –ence at the end of an English verb like abstain to make it the noun abstinence. See Catechism paragraph 2515.
Evolution and Definition of Concupiscence
Accordingly, concupiscence simply means the beginning of a strong desire, and this desire, generally, could be for anything. For example, we begin to desire food, clothing, shelter, sex, and many other things that are good. We do not sin by desiring these things provided we desire them within the bounds of reason—reason first recognizing God’s will of course.
When God created Adam and Eve, He formed them with an inclination toward Himself and then toward the things He created. They desired created goods as gifts from God to help them grow closer to Him and care for creation. Thus, they had a properly ordered concupiscence. If they had not fallen from grace, their offspring would have had a properly ordered concupiscence as well.
However, at the Fall, Adam and Eve exchanged grace for a created good. By putting their will above God’s will, they rejected grace, and their inclinations lost the order they once had. They passed this lack of order—literally, disorder—and lack of grace to their progeny. Just as mankind inherited a wounded intellect resulting in ignorance, which is not sinful, he inherited a wounded will resulting in concupiscence, which is also not sinful. See CCC paragraph 1264.
Born into an absence of sanctifying grace, we are merely natural beings with natural inclinations. Consequently, we need grace, which is supernatural, to help us return to a supernatural state in which God abides in us. Grace puts us back into communion with God and begins the process of reordering our whole selves. Click here to read about actual and sanctifying graces and what they do.
So, concupiscence came to mean a disordered inclination for created goods. St. Thomas, following St. Augustine, described concupiscence as a disorder in the sense appetite, which means we inordinately want goods that our senses apprehend. Our sense appetites get ahead of our intellects, causing us to desire things we should not have or to have things in a way that we should not have them.
Types of Concupiscence
Because our sense appetites are out of order, we need God’s discipline (see Hebrews 12:3-11) and, of course, grace to realign them. This is where our walks with Christ become even more important for those who seek to grow in grace and ready him/herself for deification. Before we go further, we need to distinguish between two types of concupiscence, habitual and actual.
Habitual concupiscence is the type of concupiscence with which most of us are familiar. It is an underlying disordered inclination toward created goods. It is passive and continuous. It simply sits there waiting for something to activate it. It results purely from Original Sin.
Habitual concupiscence lays the groundwork for actual concupiscence. When a created good enters our minds and we begin to have a disordered desired, the concupiscence becomes actual. It results from our experiences with created goods. Essentially, as we experience these goods through the senses, we form inordinately strong inclinations to some of them.
Actual concupiscence falls into two categories, antecedent and consequent. Antecedent concupiscence is a sudden disordered desire for a particular sensible good. This occurs when something tempting enters the mind and a desire emerges without one willing it in any way. This is not a sin because one does not will it or allow it to progress any way (see this Catholic Encyclopedia article).
On the other hand, consequent concupiscence is a sin. It is a disordered desire that one wills either initially, by causing a desire, or subsequently, by moving a desire along once it manifests itself. For example, one may either intentionally cause a desire for fornication (sex outside of marriage) or choose to perpetuate this desire once it enters the mind. Either way, it is sinful. At this point, one might ask how concupiscence and temptation work together to create sin.
Sin and Concupiscence
St. James provides a perfect synopsis about the development of sin and relationship between concupiscence and temptation. In James 1:14-15, he writes, “[E]ach person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then, desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.”
This passage tells us that desire may conceive sin. Therefore, it is not sin itself. It conceives sin (i.e., the first moment of sin) when a person, through lack of vigilance, allows a temptation to “mate” with concupiscence. This would be venial sin. Then, once the person recognizes that this joining has occurred and allows the thought or act to continue, the sin becomes full-grown (i.e., mortal sin). For more on differentiating between mortal and venial sins, please click here.
Using Concupiscence to Our Spiritual Advantage
When we first recognize a disordered desire rising in the sense appetite and turn to God for help, we do not sin. Instead, the manifestation of the desire becomes a moment of choice between good and evil. As we create the habit of turning to God when this kind of desire arises, God uses His grace to strengthen and discipline us for the complete mastery of these desires.
Accordingly, grace and our cooperation with it put our desires back in order—God first and then created goods properly sought and used. Let’s see how this works practically.
Let’s take an example of a young woman who has a full stomach. After eating her meal, she begins to strongly desire a piece of cake (actual concupiscence). She sees a waiter taking a slice of cake (temptation) to another customer. However, she makes no movement, mentally or physically, toward the object because she knows gluttony is sinful. Instead, she pays her bill and leaves the restaurant before the desire grows out of control. No movement, no sin. For more on sin’s role in our holiness, please read this article.
Mastering Concupiscence
Keep in mind that one cannot eradicate concupiscence in this life, but one can certainly master it. What does this mastery look like? By grace and cooperation with it, one can train his or her intellect to recognize a disordered desire as soon as it appears. Similarly, one can train his or her will to put the brakes on a disordered desire by turning to God and/or by diverting attention to a morally licit act.
Catechism paragraph 2520 reminds us that with grace, faith, undivided hearts, purity, simplicity in vision, discipline, and prayer, especially prayer combined with fasting, we can and will prevail over concupiscence and temptations. The key is to remove all excuses, take advantage of the sacraments, and begin the process of reordering one’s life according to God’s will.
Holiness and Concupiscence
For the holy, those with sanctifying grace, even evil becomes an opportunity for greater holiness. Concupiscence merely provides opportunities to either sin or exercise virtue. Provided a person does not give heed to it, he/she will successfully overcome it, avoid sin, and grow in grace.
As a matter of discipline, we should consult with God through prayer and thoughtful examination before lurching toward a created good. We should also give thanks to God for the created goods He gives us. By doing these things, we will establish the habits of putting God first and placing restraints on concupiscence and temptations.
Author’s Notes:
- To read a detailed article on deification/theosis, please click here.
- Please click here for an article on how to stop sinning.
- For an article on why we should raise our morality bars high, please click here.
- To better understand how the demons’ falls from grace helps us spiritually, please click here.
Photo by Andy Bodemer on Unsplash
