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What are the seven deadly sins and how best to fight them?

In last week’s article, I talked about virtues, those good habits that help us to live a life free of sin and draw us into the heart of Jesus and our neighbors. Virtues help us to combat the seven deadly sins and the grave effects they have on our souls.

As we head into the end of our liturgical year and into the Advent season, we are reminded to be ready for Christ’s second coming. In preparation, we can boldly ask God to purify our thoughts, words, and actions so that when we are called home to His heavenly kingdom we might hear, “Well done good and faithful servant!”

As fallen human beings, we all struggle with sin. Many of us have particular sins that are difficult to overcome and are rooted in what the Church calls the “seven deadly sins.” The Catechism refers to these deadly sins as “capital sins” because they give rise to other sins, other vices. The sins are pride, greed, envy, anger, lust, gluttony, and sloth (CCC 1866). If left up to me, I would narrow the list down to one, naming “pride” the primary root of all sins.

Pride is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, some people seem to always want to call attention to themselves and to their accomplishments. Pride says, “I’m better than you.” Pride was Satan’s problem at the creation. He thought that he could be as good, if not better, than God himself. On the other hand, other people think too little of themselves. They are self-deprecators often staying away from others because they are afraid of what people may think of them. This is the flip side of pride, a twisted over-concern with themselves.

So how do we overcome sin?

We can overcome sin by availing ourselves to God’s grace through the sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. We can further defeat sin by calling upon the Holy Spirit, seeking strength from the heavenly virtues that enable us to conquer the evil behind deadly sins. Whenever tempted by a bad habit or a vice, put virtue into action: Humility over Pride; Generosity over Greed; Kindness over Envy, Forgiveness over Anger, Chasity over Lust; Temperance over Gluttony; and Diligence over Sloth.

P.S. When it comes to holiday dinners, practice temperance.





Author Bio:
Deacon Dan Vaughn