Two series of meditations upon the 7 Deadly Sins and the 7 Life-Giving Virtues are presented below. The first series has 18 days of meditations and the second 7 days. A vice is an habitual way of acting in opposition to basic Christian values. Our growth in the Christian life, in our imitation of Christ, will in part come about by our practice of the Christian virtues and our triumph over the opposite vices.
Every person is a mixture of vices of virtues and before God we are accountable for putting off the vices and for putting on the virtues. Peter stated that we are to add to our faith, virtue; and to virtue, we are to add knowledge. It is our hope that these meditations may be of help to anyone who wishes to enter into the heart of changing their lives according to the directives of the New Testament.
Day 1 - Pride
"You will be like gods." (Genesis 3:5)
Day 2 - Faces of Pride
Pride may be described as a disordered love of self by which a person takes individual credit for what are actually gifts of God and by which a person seeks unreasonable acclaim for personal accomplishments.
Day 3 - Humility
Christian thought and practice has always regarded humility as the fundamental virtue serving as the foundation of the whole edifice of Christian virtue.
Day 4 - Humility: Truth in Action
The true insights and convictions about ourselves and our abilities and talents affect our manner, our speech, and our association with others.
Day 5 - Envy
"Let us not be...envious of one another." (Galatians 5:26)
Day 6 - Envy/Jealousy
Jealousy arises from fear and insecurity and immaturity.
Day 7 - Love
"Envy is contrary to love, whence the soul derives its spiritual life...Now both the object of love and the object of envy is the neighbor's good, but by contrary movements, since love rejoices in the neighbor's good, while envy grieves over it." (Thomas Aquinas)
Day 8 - Anger
"The fool gives vent to his anger." (Proverbs 29:11)
Day 9 - Meekness
"Do not let the sun set on your anger." (Ephesians 4:26)
Day 10 - Sloth
"Like a moth in clothing...sorrow gnaws at the human heart." (Proverbs 25:20)
Day 11 - Joy
"Your grief will become joy." (John 16:20)
Day 12 - Avarice
"You cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24)
Day 13 - Poverty
"If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19:20-21)
Day 14 - Gluttony
"Their God is their stomach." (Philippians 3:19)
Day 15 - Temperance
"In Whatever You Do, Be Moderate" (Sirach 31:22)
Day 16 - Lust
"God did not call us to impurity." (1 Thessalonians 4:7)
Day 17 - The Faces of Lust
"God did not call us to impurity." (1 Thessalonians 4:7)
Day 18 - Chastity
"Therefore glorify God in your body." (I Corinthians 6:20)
(This ends our 1st presentation on the 7 deadly sins and 7 life-giving virtues. These meditations were originally a part of the August 2004 meditations.)
(Our 2nd presentation of the 7 Gifts and Virtues and the Capital Sin they oppose follows. These previously were part of the May 2004 meditations.)
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit supply the forms and paths which our spiritual development and our service of God will take, while the Infused Virtues drive and bring about that development and service. If we choose to give in to the Capital Sins, they will block or kill the life of the Gifts and Virtues. If we choose to develop the habits of the Gifts and Virtues, they will put to death the seven capital tendencies to sin in us.
Day 1
Gift of Knowledge - Virtue of Faith - Capital Sins: Covetousness & Avarice
Day 2
Gift of Understanding - Virtue of Hope - Capital Sin: Gluttony
Day 3
Gift of Piety - Virtue of Charity/Love - Capital Sin: Lust
Day 4
Gift of Wisdom - Virtue of Prudence - Capital Sin: Pride (Self-Worship)
Day 5
Gift of Counsel - Virtue of Justice - Capital Sin: Envy
Day 6
Gift of Fear of the Lord - Virtue of Temperance - Capital Sin: Sloth
Day 7
Gift of Fortitude - Virtue of Fortitude - Capital Sin: Anger (cruel/vicious/uncontrolled)
