Tag: sin
God never tires of forgiving us
“But if thou scoffest at hearing of hell and believest not that fire, remember Sodom. For we have seen, surely we have seen, even in this present life, a semblance of hell. For since many would utterly disbelieve the things to come after the resurrection, hearing now of an unquenchable fire, God brings them to… Read More ›
Seeking Satisfaction: Gluttony
There is a grotesque scene in the Monty Python film The Meaning of Life in which a hugely corpulent character named Mr Creosote eats a gigantic meal, vomits repeatedly and then, after eating a tiny after dinner mint, explodes. The comedy is completely outrageous, but you can’t miss the explicitly revolting depiction of gluttony. Being heavy is… Read More ›
Worshipping Mammon: Greed
We think of greed as a fat cat banker who pays himself a million dollar bonus after already receiving a salary of three million for working a seventy hour week doing shady almost legal deals for people. Or we think greed is shown by a person who is a tightwad: pinching every penny and cutting every… Read More ›
Distorted Desires: The Seven Deadly Sins
The seventeenth century poet Thomas Traherne is known for his joyful and positive spirit. He affirms that human souls are driven by desire, and that we desire what is good. The problem is, that desire is either distorted or directed wrongly by sin. Very often when we think about the seven deadly sins we view them… Read More ›
Do twice as much for the sinner
A brother questioned Abba Poemen saying, ‘If I see a brother whom I have heard is a sinner, I do not want to take him into my cell, but when I see a good brother I am happy to be with him.’ The old man said, ‘If you do a little good to the good… Read More ›
What shall I do in my affliction?
When the holy Abba Antony lived in the desert he was beset by accidie, and attacked by many sinful thoughts. He said to God,’Lord, I want to be saved but these thoughts do not leave me alone; what shall I do in my affliction? Ho w can I be saved?’ A short while afterwards, when… Read More ›
Even the tiniest Lenten sacrifice is valuable
The Catholic Herald (28/2/14): . . .There was a time when the concept of penance was widely understood even if the practice of it was in decline but that was also the time when biblical literacy was prevalent and there was some corresponding understanding of the concepts of sin, judgment and offending Infinite Goodness. Yet… Read More ›
Stretch
Some of the most frequently said prayers of Christians are said for the collective whole, yet on the other hand we are often quick to send the vast majority of people to hell. The older I get, the less this makes sense to me and perhaps I am not alone in this, well I know… Read More ›
Pope Francis: Gossip, the offspring of jealousy and envy
Vatican City ( AsiaNews) – Jealousy and envy create bitterness in those who subject to them and they generate gossip”. “Gossip divides the community, it destroys the community. They are the weapons of the devil”. These were the words of Pope Francis today during morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta , in which he asked… Read More ›
CNN Poll Reveals America’s Most Agreed Upon Sin
Ninety-four percent of Americans believe that “being married and having sex with someone else” is morally wrong, the highest figure on a list of eight actions that CNN asked 1,010 adults to ethically classify earlier this month. “Cheating on your taxes” followed adultery with 90 percent of Americans classifying it as morally wrong. “Having an abortion,” “engaging… Read More ›