The Seven Deadly Sins

And how to overcome them

The Calvinistic inclination to perceive oneself as "totally depraved" offers a certain convenience. If this were indeed one's state, there would be no necessity to seek forgiveness for any specific transgression. There is no particular sin to identify or to eschew in the future. There is no necessity for personal growth in self-awareness, no urgency to seek the grace to conquer any particular vice, and no specific event or time to discuss and pray about for the following day. If all actions are considered grave sins, then paradoxically, none can be deemed a grave sin.

Consequently, even the most earnest adherents of Jesus need not acknowledge or confess any specific transgressions. Furthermore, the words of our Saviour - “Therefore, he who delivered me to you has the greater sin” (John 19:11b) - would be rendered untrue. Even Christ's admonition that Sodom's transgression was more bearable than the repudiation he faced at Capernaum (Matt. 11:22-24) would seem implausible.

This perspective on sin is not found in Sacred Scripture nor reflective of how the early Church of Christ addressed humanity's need for grace. The apostles and Gospel writers recognised that certain sins are distinctly more severe than others. For example, John provides insight into how to negotiate our own brokenness:

If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal (1 John 5:16-17).

The Latin term for a grave sin is "mortalis," however the Christian Tradition designates the opposite, as per scriptural authority, as "venialis," a term signifying "not deadly" or "pardonable," which is far less severe than "mortalis." The differentiation between mortal and venial sin is not merely a mediaeval construct but a 2,000-year-old apostolic mandate through which Christ encourages us to acknowledge our sins and seek the appropriate response in Him.

What is the origin of the seven deadly sins? Tertullian of Carthage (d. 220) was the inaugural Christian to compose substantially in Latin and the first to categorise the deadly sins as seven. His classification of sins did not endure beyond the third century; nonetheless, he supplied subsequent theologians with the number seven, a classical symbol representing completeness or totality, which persists to the present day. This list of sins remained mostly unaddressed until the legalisation of Christianity in A.D. 313. What is the reason for this?

Advancing in sanctity

As the era of the martyrs concluded (at least temporarily), the faithful required new exemplars of virtue. Following the legalisation of Christianity in 313, the martyr archetype transitioned to that of the monk, individuals who embodied the Faith with fervour and dedication, providing the Church with tangible exemplars of unwavering devotion.

As an increasing number of individuals pursue spiritual guidance, books of devotion that address the cultivation of holiness and the identification of personal faults have gained prominence. These spiritual guidebooks emerged in the mid-fourth century to assist individuals residing in isolation in the desert or those in nascent monastic communities in comprehending the divine Spirit's invitation and consolation, as well as the malevolent spirit's destructive intent. The early Church Fathers typically characterised spiritual growth through three distinct phases:

Purgation. We commence by permitting God to eradicate anything that obstructs our connection with Him, necessitating our ability to identify and comprehend the reasons for our frequent preference for a fleeting creation over His everlasting Creator.

Illumination. With the establishment of this space, enlightenment emerges, allowing us to receive guidance from the Spirit on how to draw nearer to God, ultimately directing us towards the supreme objective of the Christian life: divine union.

Union. In this context, the human soul and the divine Spirit operate in harmonious accord, with the creature being affectionately motivated solely by the will of God.

Comprehending the objective of divine unity is essential for grasping the articulation of the seven deadly sins. The essence of the Christian life is not merely to passively receive Christ’s life but to actively replicate and disseminate it in the world via loving discipleship.

Athanasius of Alexandria stated during this period, “God has become human so we humans could become gods” (De inc., 54, 3: PG 25, 192B). Consequently, we become profoundly enamoured with Christ, adopting his heart, mannerisms, language, and methods of engaging with people. Christianity is fundamentally concerned with interpersonal transformation rather than only attaining virtue and evading vice.

Development of the deadliest

In the later half of the fourth century, a monk called Evagrius Ponticus (d. 399) authored a 100-chapter treatise entitled Praktikos, signifying its purpose to assist fellow ascetics in the pursuit of holiness. Considering the theological framework established previously, it is unsurprising that the Praktikos commences with identifying the sins from which we must be cleansed. Only then would Evagrius proceed to delineate Catholic catechesis and the process of deifying unity.

This is where the contemporary enumeration of the deadly sins first emerges. These logismoi, or "wicked thoughts," were first listed as eight but are presented in the same (though reversed) sequence that subsequently became common:

• Gluttony

• Lust

• Avarice

• Sorrow

• Wrath

• Sloth

• Vainglory

• Pride

These are the ideas and temptations that disrupt the soul's tranquilly in the Trinity, and these are the corrupt inclinations of humanity that render the children of Adam lamentable and pitiable.

Pope Gregory the Great (r. 590-604) identified excessive overlap between Evagrius’s list of sins, specifically between vainglory and pride, as well as sloth and sadness. Pope Gregory, in his comprehensive Commentary on Job and the issue of evil, undertook to condense Evagrius's enumeration of eight logismoi into seven deadly sins by merging vainglory with pride, sadness with sloth, and incorporating envy.

This presents the contemporary enumeration of the seven deadly sins:

• Pride

• Envy

• Wrath

• Sloth

• Avarice

• Gluttony

• Lust

This list can be denoted by the acronym: PEWSAGL. This abbreviation signifies extensive orthodox and profound theology. The human being is the sole being designed for union - exclusively created to discover identity through connection with another. This concept is articulated in Genesis 1:27 and reaches its culmination when seeing eternal salvation as the profound unity between Christ and the soul.

Interpersonal love, rather than legal precepts, is what redeems us; so, pride is unequivocally the most lethal sin, as the proud individual is solely concerned with himself. The envious individual acknowledges that he is not the focal point of existence, hence the hierarchy of the seven deadly sins is arranged in descending order of severity. Their harshness diminishes as each earthly vice either resembles or mocks the supreme virtue of love.

Pride is the most egregious evil, whereas lust, though still a deadly sin, is comparatively lesser. I still remind myself, that, “You can still go to hell over it.” This is because pride is entirely self-centred, whereas lust, albeit flawed, reaches outward towards another created in God's image and likeness.

We shall now examine each of these seven sequentially.

Pride

The Latin term for pride is superbia. The arrogant individual perceives themselves as superior to the ordinary functions and requirements of human existence. The Greek term is hubris, signifying a sense of futility as the hubristic individual seeks to be viewed as invulnerable to the human situation by rejecting any notion of a greater power.

Thus, as per the Greek playwrights and philosophers, this individual rejected divine aid from the gods and goddesses, disregarded the counsel of the fates, and depended only on his own abilities.

C.S. Lewis refers to pride as “the anti-God,” which is why the book of Proverbs identifies it as the singular evil that precedes the Fall: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). It is the "gateway vice" that indicates my dependence on others is beneath me, rendering such relationships excessively perilous.

St. Thomas Aquinas identifies four potential manifestations of pride:

1. Attributing to ourselves perfections we do not really possess

2. Actually possessing such a perfection but thinking we have it because we worked very hard and earned it

3. Possessing the perfection and knowing God gave it to us but thinking he did so because we somehow deserved it

4. Possessing the perfection and knowing God gave it to us undeservedly but being unwilling to share it with anyone else

The initial manifestation of pride consists of the minor falsehoods we convey to others to enhance our self-image, a commonplace variant of pride that drives us to appear superior to our true selves.

The second manifestation of pride is distinctly American (and predominantly masculine): rather than attributing success to divine providence, I believe I possess certain merits due to my diligent efforts, rigorous training, and relentless labour.

The third manifestation of pride is the belief that my fervent Catholic faith is a result of reading the appropriate literature, associating with the correct Christian community, or that God bestowed this faith upon me because He anticipated my efforts in evangelisation, attendance at suitable conferences, and engagement with relevant podcasts.

Envy

Envy is from the Latin term invidere, which signifies to gaze (vid-) solely into (in-) oneself. It is a lamentable and regrettable condition in which one essentially asserts that God inadequately organised the gifts and resources of this creation. The experience of divine rejection precludes the capacity to celebrate the success of others, leaving the envious individual only focused on themselves, perceiving everyone else as a threat.

Wrath

The Latin phrase "ire" refers to what our acronym designates as fury. It is a minor deadly sin, as there exists a unique form of closeness inside rage. "When you made that statement or took that action, it caused me emotional distress."

It is significantly simpler to construct the frigid barriers of pride than to disclose one’s vulnerabilities by manifesting emotional anguish through the expression of fury. Every married couple understands that it is preferable to dispute a sensitive issue rather than allow it to escalate into an insurmountable obstacle.

Sloth

Sloth is arguably the most misunderstood of the seven deadly sins. Examining the Greek will elucidate why the ancients condemned this transgression as the noonday devil referenced in Psalm 91:6. In Greek, the synonym for sloth is acedia, a compound word signifying without (a-) care (cedia).

It was not until the Protestant Reformers that sloth was perceived as physical indolence. For the Fathers and the mediaeval Doctors, sloth was characterised by excessive busyness that precluded attention to what was genuinely significant. Which is simpler: to engage in a silent holy hour or to respond to emails while conversing on a mobile?

Thomas Aquinas characterised laziness as an aimless "tendency to wander." It is the incapacity to attend to the quotidian routines of life and the requirements of fundamental human existence.

If the initial three deadly sins are referred to by the British as "the cold sins," which isolate the individual, and the subsequent three are termed "the warm sins," then sloth represents the lukewarmness that renders a soul dull and existentially mediocre. It is widely recognised what Jesus does to those who are lukewarm (Rev. 3:16).

Avarice

Avarice denotes an excessive desire for material possessions. Residing in a realm of automobiles and outerwear, as well as residences and headgear, it is comprehensible that we may occasionally misappropriate such commodities. The basic necessities of life acquire an attraction that is inappropriate, driven by consumerism rooted in a misapprehension of the genuine essence of reality.

Gluttony

Gluttony is an experience that many individuals have faced in various forms. Within the esteemed Catholic intellectual tradition, gluttony encompasses not only excessive consumption but also eating at inappropriate times, with undue eagerness, at extravagant costs, and even with excessive delicacy, as the slender supermodel is equally preoccupied with disordered calorie concerns as the corpulent gourmand.

Lust

Lust is the English equivalent of luxuria, the sin of indulging in physical pleasures that do not foster genuine oneness or a natural receptiveness to human existence. Given our inherent design for intimacy and interpersonal relationships, desire is the most comprehensible of the seven deadly sins. Here, we must cultivate the temperance of our most primal instincts. Self-mastery constitutes the fundamental virtue, as lust is the least pernicious of our transgressions.

Solution

This history and this list further demonstrate the brilliance and beauty of the Catholic religion. By deeming desire and gluttony the gravest transgressions against God, the Puritans inexorably stripped this world of joy and the potential for noble emotion. This list aids devout Christians in comprehending both their purpose and the entity for whom they were formed, as well as in evaluating the gravity of sins in their lives.

These fatalities, St. John cautions, cannot be alleviated via prayer. They require the grace of the sacrament of confession; none of these are the minor sins cleansed during devout prayer or the penitential rite at the commencement of each Mass. They are grave, they are lethal - but they commanded and, fortunately, they are absolvable.

Glory to God.