“Vices can be classified according to the virtues they oppose, or also be linked to the capital sins which Christian experience has distinguished, following St. John Cassian and St. Gregory the Great. They are called “capital” because they engender other sins, other vices. They are pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia.” Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1866
“whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9
The seven deadly sins, capital sins are such not because they are mortal deadly sins but because from and through them the soul is open to greater sins, prone to sin more simply.
Have you ever looked at your sin, maybe in an examination of conscience, and seen the root as one of these capitol sins? Something I’d call the leg of the chair sin. For me, it’s pride. So much of my sin life stands on the leg of pride. For others, it may be sloth or gluttony, maybe lust, greed or envy or just plain wrath. I guess if I were to be honest, the central leg of my sin might be pride but many of the others stand around the chair of my sin supported by and supporting pride. Yea, I’m a mess.
Through Divine Mercy and the Sacrament of Mercy, I’ve been graced with some great confessors and a few incredible spiritual directors who have helped peel back layers of the sin onion. For so long, I looked at the sins I confessed as the issue, when most were a symptom not the cause. The cause of the disease of our sin are one or more of these capitol sins.
As powerful as these capitol sins are in our lives, the Holy Spirit gives us the remedy. The Cardinal Virtues. Each not only offsets but truly is a remedy against those gateway sins.
Traditionally, the seven Christian virtues, heavenly virtues (or The Seven Catholic Virtues) combine the four classical cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and courage (or fortitude) with the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. These were adopted by the Church Fathers as the seven virtues.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines virtue as “a habitual and firm disposition to do the good.”
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.” Matthew 12:43-45
The key is to unlock these virtues and live them heroically. That key is found in the Church, Scripture, writings of the saints and the Sacraments. Confession is the course a soul takes to obtain a PHD level understanding of virtue (aka sanctity). Through the Sacrament of Confession but also in daily Examinations of Conscience is the soul able to overcome its sinful desires by wiping them clean. But, also, to build and grow the virtues from seeds of thought to mighty heroic ‘habits’ that define a soul and open eternity to it.
This is only possible by digging deeper and getting to the root of sin. That means not just going to confession to rattle off a list, receive forgiveness and go back out the door to life. Remember, a clean house is not surety against the return of evil. To wipe away sin, replacing it with a heroic life of virtue, one must examine the soul, find the surface sins then dig deeper. Ask the priest for help defining cause and guidance to overcoming.
Make the Sacrament more than just forgiveness, make it the key to open the gateway to virtue. God will open wide the floodgates and increase the grace flowing into your soul that you may grow to live a life of heroic virtue here on earth.
God is not just calling you out of the darkness, He is calling your into the light.
Always remember, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” Romans 5:20