The seven deadly sins

November 10, 1:59 PMTucson Liberal Christian ExaminerMargot Fernandez

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Tucson Liberal Christian Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

            Sin has consequences.

I learned about the bundles-of-seven in Chrstian education as a young girl when I attended confirmation classes and what we used to call adult Sunday school. The Seven Deadly Sins, along with the Seven Sacraments and the Seven Virtues were taught to us and after my discussion of sin itself yesterday, I thought we'd go over this part of Christian education.

Curiously, most of the seven sins are thought before they are deed. When we look at pride, anger, lust, envy and avarice, we see states of mind before actions are committed.

The other two sins on the list are gluttony and sloth, two non-actions that lead us to sins of omission when we don't discipline ourselves, and sins of commission when we idolize food. They are physical sins and generally considered to be less dangerous than the "big five" in the preceding paragraph.

My antidote to pride is to remind myself, and occasionally someone else, that you didn't make yourself. Everything that you have--everything, starting with your very body and mind--was handed on to you from someone else. Your mother and father may have had no connection, mind you. Many babies are born from casual encounters. So instead of looking into a mirror and admiring yourself, you ought to be thanking your lucky stars for the results of your particular genetic crapshoot.

People who struggle with anger are often programmed into it before they reach a true age of discretion. If you were raised in an angry church that is full of criticism and condemnation, you can be angry at others who don't share your faith. If you were taught that your good behavior would be rewarded, you will be angry or depressed if your adult life isn't what you wanted. A sweet, submissive Christian man or woman who is saddled with an abusive spouse can become depressed quickly, as their anger at God turns inwards. Who was lying to them? Rather than answer this question they fade away, sinking into quiet desperation or avoidance. Rage and fury can erupt when a so-called "perfect wife" of "perfect child" uses a gun to solve an intolerable situation--which everyone in their family and church knew about, but did not intervene.

Lust, envy and avarice I group together because they come from a "never enough" mentality. People lost in lustful striving are often called sex addicts because they need the high that comes with conquest. The "I'm never satisfied" of lust is comparable to the "I can never have enough" mentality of envy and avarice. What do you put into that black hole in your soul that swallows up everything and never has enough? First, and very important: Tell someone about it! There must be someone you can talk to. If not, your life is too restricted and you need to get out more. Go to a church this coming Sunday and get it right out there. "I am here because I feel desperate and I'm all alone." There will be a gang of people there who came for that exact reason.

How about making something, like a pumpkin pie, and showing up at a local church for their Thanksgiving get-together? Most churches have them. Find a church, call them and find out how it works. I have done it myself, in the years when my family wasn't up to it due to bad things that happened, and I know that you can make connections if you want to. Maybe first you have to "want to want to." Work on it. There is someone out there.