Gift of Fear of the Lord
Permanent
capacity to receive the light of Jesus' sensitivity to what pleases or
displeases God and of his reverence for God and his compassion for
others; so that we can use it to make acts of, and develop habits of,
this gift. These acts and habits enable us to control our imaginations
with images of Jesus and the saints which turn on or turn off the
emotions of delight, desire, joy, dismay, aversion, and sorrow.
Virtue of Temperance
Permanent
capacity to receive Jesus' power of temperance, so that we can use it
to make acts of, and develop habits of, supernatural temperance. These
acts and habits enable us to toughen our wills and commitments by
focusing the power of Jesus' own delight, desire, and joy on them; and
their dismay or disgust, aversion, and sorrow on any temptation to
neglect or abandon these commitments.
Capital Sin: Sloth
Unwillingness
to make the effort to develop fear of the Lord and temperance. Sloth
produces insensitivity to what pleases and displeases God;
insensitivity to our neighbor's feelings, needs, and condition. It
addicts us to avoiding difficulties, suffering, and sacrifice, and
leads to cynicism as a perverse substitute for sensitivity, compassion,
and healthy toughness of will regarding what is good.
-excerpt taken from Family Consecration Prayer & Meditation Book - Divine Mercy Edition
, p163-164
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