Lent, Update 3, belated (obviously)
I'd been meaning to write something about the rest of Lent, and Holy Week, and have thus far failed. Probably because life has been crazy busy and kind of stressful. Here are the other remarks from Lent, on the Seven Deadly Sins--
I think last I left you, we were discussing Sloth -- which means I never got to the gravest three: Wrath, Envy, and Pride. Gravest, because while the first three (Lust, Gluttony, Greed) were more sins of immoderation, and Sloth was a sin of inaction, these are affirmative, destructive, actions.
Like all of the sins, they are interconnected. Pride seeps into all sin, but especially into Wrath, which joys at another's sorrow, and Envy, which sorrows at another's joy (borrowed loosely from Aquinas).
Wrath isn't simply anger -- it's only normal to have a flash of annoyance or anger at being wronged. Wrath is unrelenting anger, the lack of forgiveness, the delight in watching a neighbor suffer. It's a love of unrestrained vengeance. This makes it especially intriguing, as it is a sin most often incited by others' sins. I don't think it takes much analysis to conclude that wrath is the cause of so much evil in the world: racism and prejudice, war, vigilante retributive "justice", terrorism, a deal of violent crime... Wrath is what makes the middle-schooler cut off the hair of the pretty girl who teased her, what makes people gleeful at capital punishment, or what makes awful country singers write songs about blowing up the Middle East like it's Fourth of Ju-ly (ok maybe that is jingoism plus wrath, but still).
Patience and mercy are the virtues most directly opposite wrath, but I'd like to look at the theological virtues. Faith, especially in a more religious context, can replace this desire for vengeance, as one trusts that the unjust will earn their punishment and the just their reward. Love, or Charity, reorients oneself to one's neighbor, encouraging kindness and forgiveness rather than spite and bitterness. Most of all, Hope, which teaches patience, and implores the soul to look forward, rather than back, and focus on the promise of redemption. Anyone who has seen Star Wars knows that Fear leads to Anger, Anger leads to Hate, and Hatred leads to the Dark Side. Hope stops this at its root -- at fear. Wrath is often built from a mire of wrong and injustice that nurtures fear and despair. When we feel wronged, instead of feeling slighted and afraid and seeing only our own anger, we must see the future, the larger picture, and Hope.
Envy, on the other hand, lacks any relationship to justice, at least in the correctional or retributive sense. Envy is also more than simply seeing something on the street and thinking, yes I want that! Or even, I want to be like that! It isn't sinful to have goals, or want things. Too much of a love for material things or wealth divorces one from the Truer things, but it is not in itself envy. Envy is, like wrath, a perversion of human relations. Instead of feeling proud or happy for another's gains, or even feeling mopey due to your lack thereof, it is the ugly resentment and hatred of them for those things. It presumes that, yes, I know best, and I know that I need that, and they don't, and I no longer need to treat them as my neighbor because of this.
Again, I think that Hope plays a role here in countering Envy. Virtuous Hope is an anchor and a compass, holding one fast through any storm and setting oneself toward the proper goal. With eyes fixed on that expectation, the folly of Envy reveals itself. Love, furthermore, compels each person to empathize with others -- to rejoice at their successes, and to grieve for their losses. And, as it is written: “And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.” The Envy we might feel toward our neighbor is fruitless, for even the greatest delights mean nothing without love, compassion, charity.
Finally, Pride, the font of other sins, Lucifer's sin. Since we often use the term positively -- to be proud of one's children or onesself -- it can lead to misunderstanding. The sin of Pride is closer to the Greek hubris. It places the Self above all else, allowing for sins like Wrath or Envy, or Greed, which hoardes for the self, or the objectification of Lust. Excessive Pride stops someone from being able to appreciate her neighbors or even see them as real people deserving the same respect as herself. Most gravely, Pride places the self above God, and here it presents the greatest traps. We, as people, have been blessed with critical thinking and interpretation, and we must struggle to know when we are using the tools we are given, and when we are forcing our own will on a situation. When I do not get something that I want, or the path I want, Pride is what fills me with indignation.
Rather, Faith should console me. Just as Pride places the self above others and God, Faith places God first. It knows that whatever happens, you are not abandoned, and that at times -- many times -- what you would choose for yourself is not what will be best in the end. Faith in Providence rights this. Faith also limits excessive reinterpretation that would do away with God's will altogether. Where Pride boasts of one's own prowess, Faith gives thanks for the strength to prevail. It is a reminder that not everything may be clear and logical to me, but this is my shortcoming. I am not infinitely good or infinitely wise, and I must have Faith in the One that is.
More on Holy Week, soon!
ETA SO SORRY ABOUT FORGETTING TO PUT IN THE CUT GAH, FIXED
I think last I left you, we were discussing Sloth -- which means I never got to the gravest three: Wrath, Envy, and Pride. Gravest, because while the first three (Lust, Gluttony, Greed) were more sins of immoderation, and Sloth was a sin of inaction, these are affirmative, destructive, actions.
Like all of the sins, they are interconnected. Pride seeps into all sin, but especially into Wrath, which joys at another's sorrow, and Envy, which sorrows at another's joy (borrowed loosely from Aquinas).
Wrath isn't simply anger -- it's only normal to have a flash of annoyance or anger at being wronged. Wrath is unrelenting anger, the lack of forgiveness, the delight in watching a neighbor suffer. It's a love of unrestrained vengeance. This makes it especially intriguing, as it is a sin most often incited by others' sins. I don't think it takes much analysis to conclude that wrath is the cause of so much evil in the world: racism and prejudice, war, vigilante retributive "justice", terrorism, a deal of violent crime... Wrath is what makes the middle-schooler cut off the hair of the pretty girl who teased her, what makes people gleeful at capital punishment, or what makes awful country singers write songs about blowing up the Middle East like it's Fourth of Ju-ly (ok maybe that is jingoism plus wrath, but still).
Patience and mercy are the virtues most directly opposite wrath, but I'd like to look at the theological virtues. Faith, especially in a more religious context, can replace this desire for vengeance, as one trusts that the unjust will earn their punishment and the just their reward. Love, or Charity, reorients oneself to one's neighbor, encouraging kindness and forgiveness rather than spite and bitterness. Most of all, Hope, which teaches patience, and implores the soul to look forward, rather than back, and focus on the promise of redemption. Anyone who has seen Star Wars knows that Fear leads to Anger, Anger leads to Hate, and Hatred leads to the Dark Side. Hope stops this at its root -- at fear. Wrath is often built from a mire of wrong and injustice that nurtures fear and despair. When we feel wronged, instead of feeling slighted and afraid and seeing only our own anger, we must see the future, the larger picture, and Hope.
Envy, on the other hand, lacks any relationship to justice, at least in the correctional or retributive sense. Envy is also more than simply seeing something on the street and thinking, yes I want that! Or even, I want to be like that! It isn't sinful to have goals, or want things. Too much of a love for material things or wealth divorces one from the Truer things, but it is not in itself envy. Envy is, like wrath, a perversion of human relations. Instead of feeling proud or happy for another's gains, or even feeling mopey due to your lack thereof, it is the ugly resentment and hatred of them for those things. It presumes that, yes, I know best, and I know that I need that, and they don't, and I no longer need to treat them as my neighbor because of this.
Again, I think that Hope plays a role here in countering Envy. Virtuous Hope is an anchor and a compass, holding one fast through any storm and setting oneself toward the proper goal. With eyes fixed on that expectation, the folly of Envy reveals itself. Love, furthermore, compels each person to empathize with others -- to rejoice at their successes, and to grieve for their losses. And, as it is written: “And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.” The Envy we might feel toward our neighbor is fruitless, for even the greatest delights mean nothing without love, compassion, charity.
Finally, Pride, the font of other sins, Lucifer's sin. Since we often use the term positively -- to be proud of one's children or onesself -- it can lead to misunderstanding. The sin of Pride is closer to the Greek hubris. It places the Self above all else, allowing for sins like Wrath or Envy, or Greed, which hoardes for the self, or the objectification of Lust. Excessive Pride stops someone from being able to appreciate her neighbors or even see them as real people deserving the same respect as herself. Most gravely, Pride places the self above God, and here it presents the greatest traps. We, as people, have been blessed with critical thinking and interpretation, and we must struggle to know when we are using the tools we are given, and when we are forcing our own will on a situation. When I do not get something that I want, or the path I want, Pride is what fills me with indignation.
Rather, Faith should console me. Just as Pride places the self above others and God, Faith places God first. It knows that whatever happens, you are not abandoned, and that at times -- many times -- what you would choose for yourself is not what will be best in the end. Faith in Providence rights this. Faith also limits excessive reinterpretation that would do away with God's will altogether. Where Pride boasts of one's own prowess, Faith gives thanks for the strength to prevail. It is a reminder that not everything may be clear and logical to me, but this is my shortcoming. I am not infinitely good or infinitely wise, and I must have Faith in the One that is.
More on Holy Week, soon!
ETA SO SORRY ABOUT FORGETTING TO PUT IN THE CUT GAH, FIXED