(This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)
He looks upon others as merely bodies rather than as persons. Sins stemming from lust include dwelling on impure thoughts, masturbation, fornication, adultery and viewing pornography. St. Bernard of Clairvaux taught, “Inordinate love of the flesh is cruelty, because under the appearance of pleasing the body we kill the soul.” In the end, lust leads to an idolization of sexual pleasure.
Lust is different from that healthy desire of a husband and wife to share their love as husband and wife in marriage. Conjugal love in marriage is a free, self-giving action which respects the dignity of both husband and wife, affirms their marital vows and is open to life.
Therefore, to combat lust, a person should pray for the virtue of chastity, guard against the occasions of sin (which are many in this world) and have a clear vision of the goodness of a person’s own sexuality, marriage and marital love as God has intended. When one has lustful thoughts or desires, and may have fallen to sin, the spiritual directors also recommend frequent confession, the avoidance of idleness and distracting oneself. For instance, once St. Francis of Assisi was so filled with lustful thoughts he threw himself into a rose bush. (Perhaps we should plant more rose bushes around the Washington area. Perhaps Dolley Madison had great foresight in planting a rose garden at the White House.)
Envy is “sadness on account of the goods possessed by another which are regarded as harmful to oneself since they diminish one’s own excellence or renown.” Envy breeds hatred, gossip, detraction and resentment against one’s neighbor. Not only does an envious person resent another person’s goods — be they talents, looks, possessions, works or popularity — he also takes joy in and even relishes in the setbacks or adversity that a person faces. Envy is a vicious sin because it creeps into the best of relationships, even between spouses who love each other. Some of the greatest saints, like St. Bernadette, suffered because of the envy of other religious in their own communities. Remedies for envy include the practice of humility, being grateful for one’s own goods and thinking of the consequences of envy, whether loss of friendship or divine punishment.
Gluttony is “an inordinate desire for food and drink.” Gluttony is injurious to one’s mental and physical health, and oftentimes masks an even deeper spiritual problem. One must practice the virtue of temperance to prevent gluttony. Also, a person should be mindful of the physical consequences to abusing food and drink; for instance, excessive drinking can lead to alcoholism. Finally, a person should always be mindful of those who are less fortunate and who suffer from lack of proper drinking water and food. There is no good reason to waste food especially, and those who do so are also guilty of gluttony — taking something, not eating it and throwing it away in the trash.
Anger is “the inordinate desire for revenge.” (Keep in mind that this “wrongful anger” is different from “righteous anger,” where a person is angry about injustice in the world or even personal situations, and seeks to address the issue and restore justice.) Anger offends first of all against charity since a person is prone to act in a way and say things which can hurt another person. For example, words spoken in anger, whether unkind words or hurtful statements about another, can cut to the very core of a person. Second, anger sometimes offends against justice since a person goes beyond the course to remedy an issue and seeks revenge. St. Thomas Aquinas listed six effects of the vice of anger: indignation, mental disturbance, noisy speech, blasphemy, abuse and quarrels. To guard against anger, a person must be true to the virtue of justice in thought, word and deed; be in control of himself in addressing an issue; and look to the example of Christ. St. Catherine of Siena said, “There is no sin nor wrong that gives a man such a foretaste of Hell in this life as anger and impatience.”
Sloth is “sorrow in the face of spiritual good inasmuch as it is God’s good” (St. Thomas Aquinas). Sloth is not just laziness, but especially spiritual laziness. Sins which stem from the vice of sloth include lukewarmness toward divine precepts, drifting to what is forbidden and frequenting the occasion of sin, faintheartedness and despair of salvation. The remedy for sloth is remembering one’s promised eternal reward as well as one’s punishment for sin. Archbishop Fulton Sheen taught, “Sloth is a malady of the will which causes us to neglect our duties. Sloth may be either physical or spiritual. It is physical when it manifests itself in laziness, procrastination, idleness, indifference and nonchalance. It is spiritual when it shows itself in an indifference to character betterment, a distaste for the spiritual, a hurried crowding of devotions, a lukewarmness and failure to cultivate new virtue” (Victory over Vice, p. 73).
The seven capital sins, or vices, are realities. Each Christian must realize how susceptible he is to these vices due to the effects of original sin. Nevertheless, with God’s grace, given especially through the Sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Penance, adherence to the commandments, and the practice of virtue, the Christian will stay on the path of holiness. As Jesus said, “You must be made perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
