7 Deadly Sins

Quick, can you name the 7 Deadly Sins?

If you started listing the 2008 Democratic Candidates for president, nice try but no cigar. & even though the news reports lately seem filled with reports of people who are prime examples of commiting these sins, listing those news reports isn't enough.

So what are the Big 7? They are:

1. Pride
2. Envy
3. Greed
4. Anger
5. Sloth
6. Gluttony
7. Lust

(Each is linked to an article in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.)

But there is more than that. Lent is not only about turning away from sin. It is also about turning towards God & allowing His Holy Spirit to work in us to transform us. Part of that is the growing in virtue.

The Big 3 are Faith, Hope & Charity (1 Cor 13). But the Catholic Church also calls us to grow in the 7 Holy Virtues. Each of these virtues enables us to deal with 1 of the 7 Deadly Sins. These virtues (& coresponding sin they counter) are:

1. Humility (Pride)
2. Kindness (Envy)
3. Charity (Greed)
4. Forgiveness (Anger)
5. Diligence (Sloth)
6. Temperance (Gluttony)
7. Chastity (Lust)

& while growing in virtue is a lifelong process, Lent is a good time to seek special graces from God to ensure that we are on the right path.

(Thanks to Stella Borealis for the lead on the articles about the 7 Deadly Sins!)