What are the 7 Deadly Sins?
What are the 7 deadly sins? Where do they come from? How are they “capital”?
These sins, listed by Saint Thomas Aquinas, distance us from God, like all sin, but are also at the source of all our evils.
"Pride stiffens, greed closes, envy gnaws, lust corrupts, gluttony stultifies, wrath disfigures, and sloth paralyzes. “said Paul Claudel. How do they still concern us today? And how to protect yourself? Discover all about the seven deadly sins, but also about their opposites - these fundamental virtues - that liberate and illuminate our lives.
What is a Mortal Sin?
These sins are called capital or mortal because from them, all others flow. So it is about the great human impulses that lead us to sin.
This capital term therefore does not necessarily indicate a level of gravity (unlike the notion of mortal sins) but the fact that they are at the origin of all the other sins and all the evils of humanity.
Fighting them is therefore a way to fight evil at its source.
What is the origin of deadly sins?
In the Bible, there is no mention of the 7 deadly sins as such, but we find, in the Gospel of Matthew, a list of these sins that are often found in the human heart: "But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:18-20)
As early as the fourth century, Evagrius the Pontic, then Jean Cassien after him, proposed a classification of the 8 types of thoughts that stimulate the passions of having and those of being (thoughts of possession and thoughts of domination). Pope Gregory the Great will take up this list by modifying it slightly.
But it was Saint Thomas Aquinas who, several centuries later, in his work The Summa Theologica, established the nomenclature of the 7 mortal sins as we know it. The number 7 is not trivial. Indeed, in the Bible, the 7 has a symbolic value. It represents the totality of something. The 7 deadly sins therefore represent the totality of what can push us to sin.
List of the seven deadly sins - or vices - of the Catholic Church
- Pride
- Greed
- Envy
- Wrath
- Lust
- Gluttony
- Sloth
Definition and significance of each of the 7 deadly sins
Pride
Pride leads us to believe that we are enough, that we can do without God and others. Thus, pride removes God and isolates us. It is also the one that prevents us from rising, since a proud mind thinks that it does not need to learn, to question itself. It is sin that leads to fall and isolation. The first sin, the original sin committed by Adam and Eve, is a sin of pride.
Pride can take the form of vanity, pretension, snobbery, etc.
Greed
Greed is the excessive attachment to money and, more broadly, to material goods. The feeling of needing more and more to be well, to be safe, to exist. This sin weighs down the heart and soul that has more and more difficulty in turning to heavenly goods, the only ones that are called to last into eternity, as the Bible tells us: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” For where your treasure is, there your heart will be too.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
Greed also deprives us of our freedom by making us dependent on goods, objects.
Envy
Jealousy takes our attention. We are monopolized by the other, what he has, what he is. Our gaze is false: on our surroundings (we have more and more difficulty in perceiving in the other his struggles, his sufferings) and on us (we forget to see our riches and the gifts of God in our life). The envious person is eternally dissatisfied and feels himself to exist only in comparison. Envy also feeds a desire for possession that is never satisfied.
Wrath
Wrath, as a capital sin, is not the transient emotion of anger that can be felt in the face of a situation that is not fair or that does not respect the dignity of a person. Jesus himself felt anger at the actions of some in the Gospels. But anger becomes sin when it settles and becomes an inherent part of our character:
- When the slightest annoyance makes us lose control of our actions.
- When it makes forgiveness impossible and fosters resentment.
So, it pushes us to act violently, in words or gestures, but also insidiously through passive but equally harmful aggression.
That is why the apostle Paul warns us: “In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." (Ephesians 4:26-27)
Lust
The sin of lust consists in considering the other as an object whose sole purpose is the satisfaction of our own pleasure. Sexuality can therefore be the place of lust, when the other is considered only as a means to achieve our pleasure alone. Lust then denies the sacred dimension of the body. But lust can take other forms: as soon as we use the other for our sole convenience or enjoyment, as soon as we use others, thus denying their dignity.
Gluttony
Here too, it is a question of excess. It is not a question of banishing all pleasure, but of remaining in a balanced relationship with these pleasures. The sin of gluttony is present when we no longer know how to listen to our body, its needs. This can lead to excessive behaviors such as addictions.
Sloth
Laziness prevents us from having control over events. By avoiding wanting to act, to take our responsibilities, but also, conversely, by engaging in an act that prevents us from investing fully in something, from persevering in a direction. In this vice, we can also evoke acedia, which is a form of spiritual laziness.
How can we avoid and combat deadly sins?
Work on contrary virtues
To the 7 deadly sins, we can oppose the 7 fundamental virtues:
- the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity
- and the four cardinal virtues: justice, prudence, temperance and courage
[community-card id=8810]
Thus we are invited to combat a bad trend, by working on a virtue, among these fundamental virtues or others resulting from them.
A virtue is a good habit that we adopt and which, through perseverance, becomes natural to us.
Here are some examples of virtues to work on according to the type of sin:
Faith and humility make it possible to combat pride by admitting that we need God and others.
Verse to meditate:
"But by the grace of God I am what I am." (1 Corinthians 15:10)
Justice opens, where greed closes. How can I act with more justice in my life? How can the property I own help me establish greater justice by helping those in need?
Verse to meditate on:
"Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow." (Isaiah 1:17)
Charity makes it possible to change our gaze on the other and not to look at what he possesses, not to be in the comparison but in the welcome and acceptance of his difference. This person I envy, am I able to also see his wounds, his struggles and put a look of compassion on him?
Verse to meditate on:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
Chastity (which is not abstinence) makes it possible to establish a right relationship with the other, with their body, in the respect and love of each other. What is this right distance that I must put between this person and me so as not to be too far away or too close?
Verse to meditate on:
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Sobriety (and temperance) allows us to wake up, where gluttony and the need to be always full puts us to sleep. How can I lighten my daily life? How to revive desire, the real engine of life?
“So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:6)
Temperance helps us to control ourselves and not let strong emotions control us. It is not a question of denying them, but of welcoming them in conscience and not letting them overwhelm us.
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Hope and courage; laziness can be a way to escape reality when it seems too difficult to us. Courage invites us face it. Step by step, with the help of God.
Verse to meditate on:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
[community-card id=7668]
The "weapons" of the Christian for the spiritual fight
Faced with these 7 sins, we have weapons:
- The 7 sacraments offered by the Church, in particular that of reconciliation and that of the Eucharist
- The 7 gifts of the Spirit, which we can ask for in our prayers.
But also attitudes to work on to make us Christians radiate the joy and peace of Christ, by putting more simplicity, humor and gratitude in our lives... which are good ramparts to our evil inclinations.
With Hozana, entrust all your sins to God!
Prayer is an effective way to fight against sin and to make us grow in the virtues that liberate and sanctify us. Hozana offers many retreats and novenas online to help you advance on the path and find the peace and joy that God wants to give everyone in abundance!
Among other things, you can:
- give yourself nine days to prepare for spiritual warfare and feel strengthened in the face of temptations.
- (re)discover the mercy of God and how much we are loved despite our sins.
- You can also journey 9 Days with St. Padre Pio in preparation for his feast day..
