'The intellect is made blind by these three passions:
avarice, self-esteem and sensual pleasure. Scripture calls these three the daughters of the horseleech, dearly loved by their mother folly (cf. Prov. 30:15. LXX). These three passions on their own dull spiritual knowledge and faith, the foster-brothers of our nature. It is because of them that wrath, anger, war, murder and all other evils have such power over mankind.'
St. Mark the Ascetic
#vice
avarice, self-esteem and sensual pleasure. Scripture calls these three the daughters of the horseleech, dearly loved by their mother folly (cf. Prov. 30:15. LXX). These three passions on their own dull spiritual knowledge and faith, the foster-brothers of our nature. It is because of them that wrath, anger, war, murder and all other evils have such power over mankind.'
St. Mark the Ascetic
#vice
Intellectual pride
Intellectual pride leads certain studious men to reject the traditional interpretation of dogmas, to attenuate them, or to deform them in order to harmonize them with what they call the exigencies of the mind. In others, this pride is manifested by a singular attachment to their own judgement, to such a degree that they do not even wish to listen to reasons sometimes stronger in favour of the adverse opinion. Some finally, who are theoretically in the truth, are so satisfied to be right, so filled with their learning which has cost them so much, that their souls are, as it were, saturated with it and no longer humbly open to receive the superior light that would come from God in prayer.
Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
#vice #pride
Intellectual pride leads certain studious men to reject the traditional interpretation of dogmas, to attenuate them, or to deform them in order to harmonize them with what they call the exigencies of the mind. In others, this pride is manifested by a singular attachment to their own judgement, to such a degree that they do not even wish to listen to reasons sometimes stronger in favour of the adverse opinion. Some finally, who are theoretically in the truth, are so satisfied to be right, so filled with their learning which has cost them so much, that their souls are, as it were, saturated with it and no longer humbly open to receive the superior light that would come from God in prayer.
Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
#vice #pride
Mary Prevents Souls from Straying into Vice
by St. Alphonsus Liguori
Taken from "The Glories of Mary"
Learned writers apply the following words of Ecclesiasticus to Mary: Her bands are a healthful binding. "Why bands?" asks St. Laurence Justinian, "except it be that She binds Her servants, and thus prevents them from straying into the paths of vice": And truly this is the reason for which Mary binds Her servants. St. Bonaventure also, in his commentary on the words of Ecclesiasticus, frequently used in the office of Mary, My abode is in the full assembly of Saints, says that Mary not only has Her abode in the full assembly of Saints, but also preserves them from falling, keeps a constant watch over their virtue, that it may not fail, and restrains the evil spirits from injuring them. Not only has She Her abode in the full assembly of the Saints, but She keeps the Saints there, by preserving their merits that they may not lose them, by restraining the devils from injuring them, and by withholding the arm of Her Son from falling on sinners.
In the Book of Proverbs we are told that all Mary's clients are clothed with double garments. For all Her domestics are clothed with double garments. Cornelius à Lapide explains what this double clothing is: he says that it "consists in Her adorning Her faithful servants with the virtues of Her Son and with Her own"; and thus clothed they persevere in virtue.
Therefore St. Philip Neri, in his exhortations to his penitents, used always to say: "My children, if you desire perseverance, be devout, to Our Blessed Lady." The Venerable John Berchmans, of the Society of Jesus, used also to say:
"Whoever loves Mary will have perseverance."
Truly beautiful is the reflection of the Abbot Rupert on this subject in his commentary on the parable of the prodigal son. He says, "That if this dissolute youth had had a mother living, he would never have abandoned the paternal root or at least would have returned much sooner than he did"; meaning thereby that a son of Mary either never abandons God, or, if he has this misfortune, by Her help he soon returns.
O, did all men but love this most benign and loving Lady, had they but recourse to Her always, and without delay, in their temptations, who would fall? who would ever be lost? He falls and is lost who has not recourse to Mary. St. Laurence Justinian applies to Mary the words of Ecclesiasticus, I have walked in the waves of the sea:
and makes Her say, "I walk with My servants in the midst of the tempests to which they are constantly exposed, to assist and preserve them from falling into sin."
#mary #stalphonsus #vice
by St. Alphonsus Liguori
Taken from "The Glories of Mary"
Learned writers apply the following words of Ecclesiasticus to Mary: Her bands are a healthful binding. "Why bands?" asks St. Laurence Justinian, "except it be that She binds Her servants, and thus prevents them from straying into the paths of vice": And truly this is the reason for which Mary binds Her servants. St. Bonaventure also, in his commentary on the words of Ecclesiasticus, frequently used in the office of Mary, My abode is in the full assembly of Saints, says that Mary not only has Her abode in the full assembly of Saints, but also preserves them from falling, keeps a constant watch over their virtue, that it may not fail, and restrains the evil spirits from injuring them. Not only has She Her abode in the full assembly of the Saints, but She keeps the Saints there, by preserving their merits that they may not lose them, by restraining the devils from injuring them, and by withholding the arm of Her Son from falling on sinners.
In the Book of Proverbs we are told that all Mary's clients are clothed with double garments. For all Her domestics are clothed with double garments. Cornelius à Lapide explains what this double clothing is: he says that it "consists in Her adorning Her faithful servants with the virtues of Her Son and with Her own"; and thus clothed they persevere in virtue.
Therefore St. Philip Neri, in his exhortations to his penitents, used always to say: "My children, if you desire perseverance, be devout, to Our Blessed Lady." The Venerable John Berchmans, of the Society of Jesus, used also to say:
"Whoever loves Mary will have perseverance."
Truly beautiful is the reflection of the Abbot Rupert on this subject in his commentary on the parable of the prodigal son. He says, "That if this dissolute youth had had a mother living, he would never have abandoned the paternal root or at least would have returned much sooner than he did"; meaning thereby that a son of Mary either never abandons God, or, if he has this misfortune, by Her help he soon returns.
O, did all men but love this most benign and loving Lady, had they but recourse to Her always, and without delay, in their temptations, who would fall? who would ever be lost? He falls and is lost who has not recourse to Mary. St. Laurence Justinian applies to Mary the words of Ecclesiasticus, I have walked in the waves of the sea:
and makes Her say, "I walk with My servants in the midst of the tempests to which they are constantly exposed, to assist and preserve them from falling into sin."
#mary #stalphonsus #vice
On the vice of sloth
"A lazy person cannot become a Christian. It requires a great deal of work, a lot of work."
St. Porphyrios
What is sloth?
-Sloth is one of the 7 Capital Sins, which always lead a man into other sins.
-The slothful man will neglect his own spiritual warfare because he is [afraid] of the labour involved. His laziness will lead him to [omit] to do what he ought.
-Sloth is a kind of cowardice, because it is a basic fear of difficulty and pain. It is an avoidance of what is good because it requires something difficult from us.
-Sloth (spiritual laziness) makes the pursuit of good seem too difficult and can lead a man to despair. When the effort appears too difficult, man begins to feel sorrowful. This weariness of spirit causes a man to turn away from God and turn to sinful pleasures. As St. Ignatius of Loyola says: "The time of sadness and dissatisfaction is decidedly not the time of sober discernment—it is the time of the lie, when the evil one is likely to step in and deceive us in a time of vulnerability."
-Sloth is a sin of omission. The slothful man doesn't appear to be doing anything evil, but is failing to do good. Sloth is spiritual laziness that is just too lazy to exert effort to do good.
-The effect of the sins of omission and of this decline of the soul is despondency, which is akin to despair. A consciousness of sin has the effect of depressing the soul, and, unless it soften it, of making it to doubt its own salvation. A soul in that state becomes desponding and reckless, so that in a multitude of cases, instead of turning towards God by repentance, it turns recklessly away from God and plunges further into sin. A man who began only with sins of omission and then sins of sloth, will at last plunge recklessly into sins he never committed before, saying: 'It is too late-I have gone too far- I am too bad.
-The person beset by sloth is neither truly productive nor at peace, suffering from the inability to work and yet not being able to truly rest and experience true joy.
-St. Thomas Aquinas describes sloth as an oppressive sorrow which is always evil. By 'sorrow' he does not mean 'sadness', but a lack of joy. It's almost like boredom. When this sorrow arises within us from sorrow, we seek diversions and distractions from our joylessness. This is a common cause for people to fall into the vice of lust, as the pleasure of sex and impurity becomes their diversion from their sorrow. They are seeking joy in the wrong place, 'for our hearts are restless until they rest in You, O Lord'.
The pleasures of the world will never actually satisfy, which only God can do. But this is why sloth is a capital sin, because the sorrow of sloth causes man to create idols, and so sloth is almost always a mortal sin according to St. Thomas, because it is a sin against charity (love of God).
-Sloth leads to resentment. In his book "Love and Responsibility", Karol Wojtyla draws a distinction between sloth and resentment (and he does so with reference to the virtue of chastity). The difference is this: sloth still recognizes the good as a good, but one which is too hard; “resentment,” on the other hand, denies the goodness of the good. “Resentment” leads one to declare that chastity is not even good—which becomes a convenient move for justifying oneself for not making any serious effort in this regard.
-From slothfulness comes a certain animosity against those who love God. Just as the soul turns away from God, in that proportion it has an animosity against those who continue to persevere in the love of God; so much so, that the very sight of any one who is fervent in the love of God becomes an eye-sore.
-Fighting through sloth—with God’s grace—enables us to take in the wonder of creation and the joy of authentic relationship with God and others. Succumbing to sloth, on the other hand, turns us inward, making us more and more sad and self-absorbed—disconnecting us from others, from God, and from reality. The person beset by sloth becomes both depressed and narcissistic
#vice
"A lazy person cannot become a Christian. It requires a great deal of work, a lot of work."
St. Porphyrios
What is sloth?
-Sloth is one of the 7 Capital Sins, which always lead a man into other sins.
-The slothful man will neglect his own spiritual warfare because he is [afraid] of the labour involved. His laziness will lead him to [omit] to do what he ought.
-Sloth is a kind of cowardice, because it is a basic fear of difficulty and pain. It is an avoidance of what is good because it requires something difficult from us.
-Sloth (spiritual laziness) makes the pursuit of good seem too difficult and can lead a man to despair. When the effort appears too difficult, man begins to feel sorrowful. This weariness of spirit causes a man to turn away from God and turn to sinful pleasures. As St. Ignatius of Loyola says: "The time of sadness and dissatisfaction is decidedly not the time of sober discernment—it is the time of the lie, when the evil one is likely to step in and deceive us in a time of vulnerability."
-Sloth is a sin of omission. The slothful man doesn't appear to be doing anything evil, but is failing to do good. Sloth is spiritual laziness that is just too lazy to exert effort to do good.
-The effect of the sins of omission and of this decline of the soul is despondency, which is akin to despair. A consciousness of sin has the effect of depressing the soul, and, unless it soften it, of making it to doubt its own salvation. A soul in that state becomes desponding and reckless, so that in a multitude of cases, instead of turning towards God by repentance, it turns recklessly away from God and plunges further into sin. A man who began only with sins of omission and then sins of sloth, will at last plunge recklessly into sins he never committed before, saying: 'It is too late-I have gone too far- I am too bad.
-The person beset by sloth is neither truly productive nor at peace, suffering from the inability to work and yet not being able to truly rest and experience true joy.
-St. Thomas Aquinas describes sloth as an oppressive sorrow which is always evil. By 'sorrow' he does not mean 'sadness', but a lack of joy. It's almost like boredom. When this sorrow arises within us from sorrow, we seek diversions and distractions from our joylessness. This is a common cause for people to fall into the vice of lust, as the pleasure of sex and impurity becomes their diversion from their sorrow. They are seeking joy in the wrong place, 'for our hearts are restless until they rest in You, O Lord'.
The pleasures of the world will never actually satisfy, which only God can do. But this is why sloth is a capital sin, because the sorrow of sloth causes man to create idols, and so sloth is almost always a mortal sin according to St. Thomas, because it is a sin against charity (love of God).
-Sloth leads to resentment. In his book "Love and Responsibility", Karol Wojtyla draws a distinction between sloth and resentment (and he does so with reference to the virtue of chastity). The difference is this: sloth still recognizes the good as a good, but one which is too hard; “resentment,” on the other hand, denies the goodness of the good. “Resentment” leads one to declare that chastity is not even good—which becomes a convenient move for justifying oneself for not making any serious effort in this regard.
-From slothfulness comes a certain animosity against those who love God. Just as the soul turns away from God, in that proportion it has an animosity against those who continue to persevere in the love of God; so much so, that the very sight of any one who is fervent in the love of God becomes an eye-sore.
-Fighting through sloth—with God’s grace—enables us to take in the wonder of creation and the joy of authentic relationship with God and others. Succumbing to sloth, on the other hand, turns us inward, making us more and more sad and self-absorbed—disconnecting us from others, from God, and from reality. The person beset by sloth becomes both depressed and narcissistic
#vice
AcediaArticleFreeman.pdf
201.3 KB
Article "Remedies to acedia in the rhythm of daily life"
How can we possibly overcome a vice that is as spiritually deep-rooted as acedia? The twin symptoms of idleness and the restless activity through which this “noonday devil” often reveals itself are only the
surface; acedia is essentially “resistance to the demands of God’s love.” For this reason the primary remedy that spiritual directors have long recommended for acedia is stabilitas, which is “sticking to your post” or being faithful in the demands of daily life that God’s love calls us to face.
This advice goes back to the fourth-century desert Christians. For example,
Evagrius of Pontus notes that acedia “instills in [the monk] a dislike for the place [i.e., his cell] and for his state of life itself” and tries to persuade him to flee. He urges monks to resist these temptations by persevering in prayer, manual labor, and whatever other work their community life entails each day.
#vice
How can we possibly overcome a vice that is as spiritually deep-rooted as acedia? The twin symptoms of idleness and the restless activity through which this “noonday devil” often reveals itself are only the
surface; acedia is essentially “resistance to the demands of God’s love.” For this reason the primary remedy that spiritual directors have long recommended for acedia is stabilitas, which is “sticking to your post” or being faithful in the demands of daily life that God’s love calls us to face.
This advice goes back to the fourth-century desert Christians. For example,
Evagrius of Pontus notes that acedia “instills in [the monk] a dislike for the place [i.e., his cell] and for his state of life itself” and tries to persuade him to flee. He urges monks to resist these temptations by persevering in prayer, manual labor, and whatever other work their community life entails each day.
#vice
Ecce Verbum
On the vice of impurity St. Alphonsus Liguori First point Delusion of those who say that sins against purity are not a great evil It is a mortal sin; it cannot be a small evil. It is more sinful than theft or detraction or the violation of the fast. God…
Lust
“… The inordinate craving for, or indulgence of, the carnal pleasure which is experienced in the human organs of generation. The wrongfulness of lust is reducible to this: that venereal (sexual) satisfaction is sought for either outside wedlock or, at any rate, in a manner which is contrary to the laws that govern marital intercourse.”
Catholic Encyclopaedia
“… the unbridled desire for one’s own pleasure.”
(‘Modern Catholic Dictionary’, Fr. John Hardon)
“Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.”
(Current ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’, 2391)
“… the sin of lust consists in seeking venereal pleasure not in accordance with right reason.”
(‘Summa Theologiae’, St. Thomas Aquinas)
*For the sake of simplicity, I will only address lust in relation to those who are unmarried. I will not get bogged down with hypothetical situations and thought experiments. If we know what lust is, simple prudence will fill in the gaps.*
To merely look at a woman is not lustful in and of itself. A child can recognise the beauty of his mother without giving in to unnatural sexual urges; a Saint can appreciate the great beauty of the Blessed Virgin, or the incomparable beauty of Jesus; a man is obviously attracted to his wife. It is not inherently wong to look at God’s beautiful creation (morally neutral action). Looking at, or thinking about another, becomes lustful (and therefore sinful) when our intention is to arouse ourselves, or when there is a near occasion of sexual pleasure/arousal.
The Scriptures recommend that we practice a reasonable custody of the eyes. We should not “gaze” upon another when it gives rise to sexual pleasure or when this is likely to happen e.g. when “scanning” the body of another.
Some have applied the counsels of the Scriptures very rigorously. Certain Saints, for example, scarcely lifted their eyes from the ground. Their purity is surely commendable, but we are not obliged to do the same. Simple souls should not read certain writings of the Saints, as this may lead them to form false impressions, or to discouragement. It is recounted of one Saint that he would shed tears when beholding the beauty of a woman. Of course, he appreciated the beauty of God’s creation with reference to God.
“Immodest looks. Bold [daring] looks are forbidden, because they lead to sin, just as a parent forbids his child to play with edged tools. The sin on which the eye looks with pleasure soon takes possession of the heart… He who observes no custody of the eyes, is like a driver who pays no heed to his horses; he will be carried away and dragged to destruction.”
'The Catechism Explained’, 1899, p. 393)
Speaking of temptations and sinful thoughts
“I see you, but I do not look at you: I see you because it does not depend upon me that my imagination places before my eyes things I would wish not to see; I do not look at you because with my will I repulse and reject you.”
St. Anthony
•"Don’t voluntarily dwell on what the devil presents to you.”
•“No sin is a true sin if we have not willfully consented.”
•“The thought doesn’t make the sin, but consenting to the thoughts does it.”
St. Padre Pio
“Do not be disturbed about bad thoughts; it is one thing to have them and quite another to consent to them.”
St. Francis de Sales
A holy and learned priest of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter gave the following advice:
“If you toy with a thought for a brief moment, without giving yourself over to it fully (i.e. without giving full consent), it is a venial sin.”
A final piece of advice, which is extremely helpful and should be practiced by all:
“He who remembers having invoked the name of Mary in an impure temptation, may be sure that he did not yield to it.”
St. Alphonsus Liguori
We should humble ourselves, recommend ourselves to God and to Our Lady, make an act of perfect contrition, and then focus our attention calmly on something else.
#vice
“… The inordinate craving for, or indulgence of, the carnal pleasure which is experienced in the human organs of generation. The wrongfulness of lust is reducible to this: that venereal (sexual) satisfaction is sought for either outside wedlock or, at any rate, in a manner which is contrary to the laws that govern marital intercourse.”
Catholic Encyclopaedia
“… the unbridled desire for one’s own pleasure.”
(‘Modern Catholic Dictionary’, Fr. John Hardon)
“Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.”
(Current ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’, 2391)
“… the sin of lust consists in seeking venereal pleasure not in accordance with right reason.”
(‘Summa Theologiae’, St. Thomas Aquinas)
*For the sake of simplicity, I will only address lust in relation to those who are unmarried. I will not get bogged down with hypothetical situations and thought experiments. If we know what lust is, simple prudence will fill in the gaps.*
To merely look at a woman is not lustful in and of itself. A child can recognise the beauty of his mother without giving in to unnatural sexual urges; a Saint can appreciate the great beauty of the Blessed Virgin, or the incomparable beauty of Jesus; a man is obviously attracted to his wife. It is not inherently wong to look at God’s beautiful creation (morally neutral action). Looking at, or thinking about another, becomes lustful (and therefore sinful) when our intention is to arouse ourselves, or when there is a near occasion of sexual pleasure/arousal.
The Scriptures recommend that we practice a reasonable custody of the eyes. We should not “gaze” upon another when it gives rise to sexual pleasure or when this is likely to happen e.g. when “scanning” the body of another.
Some have applied the counsels of the Scriptures very rigorously. Certain Saints, for example, scarcely lifted their eyes from the ground. Their purity is surely commendable, but we are not obliged to do the same. Simple souls should not read certain writings of the Saints, as this may lead them to form false impressions, or to discouragement. It is recounted of one Saint that he would shed tears when beholding the beauty of a woman. Of course, he appreciated the beauty of God’s creation with reference to God.
“Immodest looks. Bold [daring] looks are forbidden, because they lead to sin, just as a parent forbids his child to play with edged tools. The sin on which the eye looks with pleasure soon takes possession of the heart… He who observes no custody of the eyes, is like a driver who pays no heed to his horses; he will be carried away and dragged to destruction.”
'The Catechism Explained’, 1899, p. 393)
Speaking of temptations and sinful thoughts
“I see you, but I do not look at you: I see you because it does not depend upon me that my imagination places before my eyes things I would wish not to see; I do not look at you because with my will I repulse and reject you.”
St. Anthony
•"Don’t voluntarily dwell on what the devil presents to you.”
•“No sin is a true sin if we have not willfully consented.”
•“The thought doesn’t make the sin, but consenting to the thoughts does it.”
St. Padre Pio
“Do not be disturbed about bad thoughts; it is one thing to have them and quite another to consent to them.”
St. Francis de Sales
A holy and learned priest of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter gave the following advice:
“If you toy with a thought for a brief moment, without giving yourself over to it fully (i.e. without giving full consent), it is a venial sin.”
A final piece of advice, which is extremely helpful and should be practiced by all:
“He who remembers having invoked the name of Mary in an impure temptation, may be sure that he did not yield to it.”
St. Alphonsus Liguori
We should humble ourselves, recommend ourselves to God and to Our Lady, make an act of perfect contrition, and then focus our attention calmly on something else.
#vice
Notes
Against the vice of curiosity
•St. Thomas defines the vice of curiosity as “when a man is withdrawn by a less profitable study from a study that is an obligation incumbent on him” (ST II-II q167 a1). Fr. Ripperger defines it as “Inordinate desire for useless or profane knowledge.” The opposite vice is negligence, defined as “lack of due solicitude” (ST II-II q54 a1) It is the voluntary omission of knowledge essential to one’s state and condition of life.”
•So we have curiosity which is an excessive desire for knowledge, and negligence, which is not enough desire for knowledge.
•The virtue and mean is studiousness, which is “the virtue in which one pursues knowledge according to one’s state in life” (Ripperger, op. cit). Each state of life has duties and those duties require knowledge. The first duty of every state is to know the faith essentials for your salvation and then those practical matters particular to your state.
•We must take care to have some knowledge about the world of politics both secular and ecclesiastical. This helps us to develop the virtue of caution in this crisis, which is necessary to protect our souls and those of others. However, it is not incumbent upon anyone to delve completely into the endless research of these doubtful matters, since it creates a danger of curiosity, in which one will forsake the duties of their state in life. Therefore, let the reader beware of curiosity and not be taken by fables and endless genealogies, which furnish questions rather than the edification of God which is in faith (I Tim. i. 4). Or again the Holy Ghost declares:
"Seek not the things that are too high for thee, and search not into things above thy ability: but the things that God hath commanded thee, think on them always, and in many of his works be not curious. For it is not necessary for thee to see with thy eyes those things that are hid. In unnecessary matters be not over curious, and in many of his works thou shalt not be inquisitive. For many things are shewn to thee above the understanding of men. And the suspicion of them hath deceived many, and hath detained their minds in vanity (Ecclus. iii. 22ff).*
•Knowledge of the history and nature of the crisis can be good for the faithful to properly respond, but we must also realize that much of this evil will remain hidden from us and known only to God. Take what is helpful to know and leave the rest to God.
•Avoid useless and profane knowledge so you don't become corrupted.
•"Some seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge: that is curiosity. Others seek knowledge so they may make themselves be known: that is vanity. But there are still others who seek knowledge in order to serve and edify others, and that is charity "- St. Bernard of Clairvaux
#vice
Against the vice of curiosity
•St. Thomas defines the vice of curiosity as “when a man is withdrawn by a less profitable study from a study that is an obligation incumbent on him” (ST II-II q167 a1). Fr. Ripperger defines it as “Inordinate desire for useless or profane knowledge.” The opposite vice is negligence, defined as “lack of due solicitude” (ST II-II q54 a1) It is the voluntary omission of knowledge essential to one’s state and condition of life.”
•So we have curiosity which is an excessive desire for knowledge, and negligence, which is not enough desire for knowledge.
•The virtue and mean is studiousness, which is “the virtue in which one pursues knowledge according to one’s state in life” (Ripperger, op. cit). Each state of life has duties and those duties require knowledge. The first duty of every state is to know the faith essentials for your salvation and then those practical matters particular to your state.
•We must take care to have some knowledge about the world of politics both secular and ecclesiastical. This helps us to develop the virtue of caution in this crisis, which is necessary to protect our souls and those of others. However, it is not incumbent upon anyone to delve completely into the endless research of these doubtful matters, since it creates a danger of curiosity, in which one will forsake the duties of their state in life. Therefore, let the reader beware of curiosity and not be taken by fables and endless genealogies, which furnish questions rather than the edification of God which is in faith (I Tim. i. 4). Or again the Holy Ghost declares:
"Seek not the things that are too high for thee, and search not into things above thy ability: but the things that God hath commanded thee, think on them always, and in many of his works be not curious. For it is not necessary for thee to see with thy eyes those things that are hid. In unnecessary matters be not over curious, and in many of his works thou shalt not be inquisitive. For many things are shewn to thee above the understanding of men. And the suspicion of them hath deceived many, and hath detained their minds in vanity (Ecclus. iii. 22ff).*
•Knowledge of the history and nature of the crisis can be good for the faithful to properly respond, but we must also realize that much of this evil will remain hidden from us and known only to God. Take what is helpful to know and leave the rest to God.
•Avoid useless and profane knowledge so you don't become corrupted.
•"Some seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge: that is curiosity. Others seek knowledge so they may make themselves be known: that is vanity. But there are still others who seek knowledge in order to serve and edify others, and that is charity "- St. Bernard of Clairvaux
#vice
Ecce Verbum
Photo
Drunkenness
St Thomas teaches that drunkenness is a grave sin because man voluntarily deprives himself of the use of reason, by means of which he acts according to virtue, and avoids sins. St Thomas therefore draws attention to the use of reason, but in terms of virtue and sin, rather than the mere deprivation of consciousness due to drunkenness.
Depriving oneself of consciousness even with an intoxicating drink is a morally indifferent thing, because it can occur in certain cases in a morally upright manner (and the end does not justify the means). The essence of the evil of drunkenness is an act against the virtue of reason (moral consciousness, not psychological consciousness).
The point is that simply depriving oneself of psychological consciousness/awareness is a morally indifferent thing, as it can sometimes be good e.g. anaesthesia during a medical procedure. Drinking alcohol to get drunk and deprive one of moral consciousness, i.e. the use of reason, is evil.
Intentionally depriving oneself of consciousness is, as it were, implicitly included in the purpose of getting drunk. If one simply drinks to get drunk, one sins lightly or severely depending on the extent of the drunkenness and the circumstances (depravation, damage to health, etc.).
The intoxicant is not necessarily alcohol. Morphine and other anaesthetics have the same effect. The principle in their use is the same: if they are used for a good purpose, e.g. to remove excessive pain, the principle of double effect applies.
Drunkenness is the abuse of alcoholic beverages and may be total or incomplete. Complete is in itself a grave sin and incomplete is a light sin, leaving aside circumstances such as purpose, caused depravity and damage to health or material damage.
Unordered inclination towards drinking alcohol and taking other substances falls under the sin of gluttony, which stands against the virtue of temperance.
more: 🔗Summa Theologica
#vice
St Thomas teaches that drunkenness is a grave sin because man voluntarily deprives himself of the use of reason, by means of which he acts according to virtue, and avoids sins. St Thomas therefore draws attention to the use of reason, but in terms of virtue and sin, rather than the mere deprivation of consciousness due to drunkenness.
Depriving oneself of consciousness even with an intoxicating drink is a morally indifferent thing, because it can occur in certain cases in a morally upright manner (and the end does not justify the means). The essence of the evil of drunkenness is an act against the virtue of reason (moral consciousness, not psychological consciousness).
The point is that simply depriving oneself of psychological consciousness/awareness is a morally indifferent thing, as it can sometimes be good e.g. anaesthesia during a medical procedure. Drinking alcohol to get drunk and deprive one of moral consciousness, i.e. the use of reason, is evil.
Intentionally depriving oneself of consciousness is, as it were, implicitly included in the purpose of getting drunk. If one simply drinks to get drunk, one sins lightly or severely depending on the extent of the drunkenness and the circumstances (depravation, damage to health, etc.).
The intoxicant is not necessarily alcohol. Morphine and other anaesthetics have the same effect. The principle in their use is the same: if they are used for a good purpose, e.g. to remove excessive pain, the principle of double effect applies.
Drunkenness is the abuse of alcoholic beverages and may be total or incomplete. Complete is in itself a grave sin and incomplete is a light sin, leaving aside circumstances such as purpose, caused depravity and damage to health or material damage.
Unordered inclination towards drinking alcohol and taking other substances falls under the sin of gluttony, which stands against the virtue of temperance.
more: 🔗Summa Theologica
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Ecce Verbum
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Lust and the healing of disordered desire - summary
more:
🔗Thomas Aquinas on lust
🔗 Alphonsus Liguori on impurity
🔗 lust as devaluation of a person
🔗 nothing less than God will satisfy man's desires
#vice
more:
🔗Thomas Aquinas on lust
🔗 Alphonsus Liguori on impurity
🔗 lust as devaluation of a person
🔗 nothing less than God will satisfy man's desires
#vice