In this third class, we discuss how the various vices floe from the seven capital sins. And we also look to the various virtues that are connected to the theological virtues.
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Thomistic Ethics
St Thomas’s Practical Advice for Growing in Holiness
Session 3, Daughter Vices and Remedial Virtues
For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want
is what I do. (Romans 7:19)
I. Course Outline
January 20 - Introduction to Thomistic Ethics, The Hope of Heaven
January 27 - Virtue and Vice, and the Seven Capital Sins
February 3 - Virtues to overcome the Vices
February 10 - The Spiritual Life, the Virtues, and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
II. The Seven Capital Sins
Pride - The inordinate desire for one’s own excellence or the immoderate love of one’s own worth. Pride is the queen of all the vices.
1. Lust - The inordinate desire for sexual pleasure contrary to reason.
2. Vainglory - The inordinate desire for praise and recognition.
3. Avarice - The inordinate desire for material goods or wealth. Avarice is the root of all sins: in a general way, because avarice can be seen as an inordinate desire for any created good and this is the source of all sin; but even more because wealth and possessions allow a man to commit all sins.
4. Envy - Sorrow at another’s good fortune. More than just greedily desiring another’s possessions, it is desiring that they be less so that I can be exalted.
5. Anger (wrath) - As a capital vice, anger is the inordinate desire for vengeance. A righteous anger is called jealous anger - but this is still dangerous. Vengeance is numbered among the virtues, but great caution is required.
6. Gluttony - The inordinate desire for food and drink. There are five types of gluttony: too much, too fast, too fine, too picky, and at the wrong time. Still, gluttony is more about the amount of food than the taste (the glutton wants the sensation of filling his gullet and a full belly).
7. Acedia - Sorrow over spiritual goods or a sluggishness of mind. Acedia or sloth, is not just laziness; rather, it is a lack of care for the soul and spiritual good. This is why many busy people or workaholics are guilty of sloth. Acedia judges something good to be evil (seeing spiritual goods as not valuable or desirable). Sloth follows on the emotion of sorrow.
III. Spiritualized version of the Seven Deadly Sins
Spiritual Pride: self satisfaction with virtue.
Spiritual avarice: greed for spiritual goods (even material objects of devotion), and greed for spiritual experiences or wisdom.
Spiritual gluttony: Over attachment to good feelings in prayer.
Spiritual wrath: impatience with the weakness of oneself or others
Spiritual sloth: coldness and apathy for the things of God and for prayer
Spiritual envy: To resent the spiritual progress of others or even of the saints
Spiritual lust: When intrusive lustful thoughts and temptation afflict the soul during prayer.
IV. The Daughter Vices
A. Of lust: blindness of mind, thoughtlessness, inconstancy, rashness, folly - all this undermines prudence.
Lust becomes an anti-form or inner force working against all the virtues. Extreme lust even leads to hatred of God.
B. Of vainglory: disobedience, boasting, hypocrisy, contention, obstinacy (stubborn attachment to one’s own opinion), discord, presumption of novelties - and can undermine the virtue of hope by presumption.
C. of avarice: treachery, fraud, deceit, perjury, violence, obduracy (harness of heart, refuse to be sorry for sin), restlessness.
D. of envy: hatred of neighbor, tale-bearing, detraction, exulting over another’s misfortune, sorrow over another’s good.
E. of anger: quarreling and strife, swelling of the heart and mind, contumely (reviling a person to their face), clamor, false indignation, blasphemy.
Note that there is not even a name for the reverse vice, of failing to be as angry as one should be or to becoming angry when one should - very instructive!
F. of gluttony: unseemly joy, scurrility (obscene conversation), garrulousness (talking too much), uncleanness (especially sexual impropriety), and dullness of sense.
G. of acedia: malice, despair, spite, faintheartedness, sluggishness with the commandments, and an attraction to unlawful things.
V. The Theological and Cardinal Virtues, and the Sisters Virtues - and opposing vices
There is a relationship between the virtues, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the Beatitudes
- Gifts as quasi habits (review)
- Fruits and Beatitudes as acts of the Gifts and Infused Virtues
1. Faith - understanding and knowledge - the pure of heart and they who mourn
Opposing vices: unbelief, heresy, apostasy, blasphemy and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
2. Hope - fear of the Lord - poor in spirit
Opposing vices: despair, presumption
3. Love/Charity - wisdom - peacemakers
Acts of charity: love, joy, peace, mercy, beneficence, almsgiving, fraternal correction
Opposing vices: hatred, sloth, envy, discord, contention, schism, war, sedition, scandal
4. Prudence - counsel - merciful
Connected virtues: euboulia (being open to good advice), synesis (judging well according to common law, in practical particular matters), gnome (judging well according to general law, according to higher principles)
Opposing vices: imprudence, negligence, fleshly prudence (putting our last end in material things), craftiness (using unjust means to gain), fraud, guile, solicitude (both of material good, and of the future).
5. Justice - piety - the meek
Two kinds of justice: commutative justice (between individuals or small groups) and distributive justice (in society at large)
Connected virtues: equity, religion, piety, observance/devotion, gratitude, vengeance, truth, affability, liberality
Opposing vices: respect of persons, murder, harm, theft, robbery, verbal injury in court (bearing false witness), verbal injury outside of court (many sins of speech), cheating, usury, superstition, idolatry, tempting God, perjury, sacrilege, simony, ingratitude, lying, hypocrisy, boasting, flattery, quarrelling, covetousness, prodigality
6. Fortitude - fortitude - who hunger and thirst for righteousness
Principle act: martyrdom
Connected virtues: magnanimity, magnificence (doing great and exceedingly good things), patience, perseverance
Opposing vices: fear, fearlessness, daring, presumption, ambition, vainglory, pussilanimity, impatience, effeminacy (softness), pertinacity (to hold on against reason).
7. Temperance - fear of the Lord - persecuted for righteousness’ sake (or poor in spirit)
Connected virtues: shame (as a praiseworthy passion), honesty, abstinence, fasting, sobriety, chastity, virginity, continence, clemency and meekness, modesty, humility, studiousness
Opposing vices: insensibility (not taking proper delight in pleasures), intemperance (which St Thomas calls “the most disgraceful of sins”), gluttony, drunkenness, lust, incontinence, anger, cruelty, pride, curiosity, immodesty (in words, actions, and dress)
VI. The Remedial Virtues to Overcome Vice
Penance as the bulwark against all vice