 7 Deadly Sins & 7 Life Giving Virtures "Your grief will become joy." Many theologians have
contrasted the deadly sin of sloth with the life-giving virtue of
fortitude. Sloth denotes weakness in time of adversity; fortitude
denotes courage in the face of trials. There are trials and
adversities and suffering in every person's life. But we must
learn to face them with courage and accept them with joy. Our crosses may be
internal or external; physical, psychological, spiritual. We are
all familiar with the catalog of human suffering: the loss of health,
financial worries, emotional upheavals, etc. The key question
that confronts us is not whether we will suffer but how we will
suffer. The Christian view is
courageous, even joyful, acceptance of suffering in union with
Christ. His sufferings were redemptive, live-giving, because they
were enriched with love. If our sufferings are united with the
sufferings of Christ, if they are motivated by love, they too can be
redemptive. The deadly sin of sloth will tempt us to an attitude
of bitterness, hardheartedness, coldness in the face of
suffering. Slothful persons show pain and grief at being called
to follow Christ. courageous Christians do their best to respond
lovingly to the mandate of Jesus: "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23) There is an intimate
connection between sloth seen as apathy toward spiritual
responsibilities and social justice. It is even more evident in
our battle with self-pity. The latter fault definitely takes away
our joy. Joy is an intimate part of the gospels. After commanding his followers to live in love, Jesus says: "I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete." (John 15:11) After informing his
disciples that he would be leaving this world and promising them that
he would send the Holy Spirit upon them, Jesus states: "I say to you, you will
weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your
grief will become joy." (John 16:20) Paul joins in support of this attitude. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! (Philippians 4:4-5) Our joy is rooted in the
reality of the Lord's presence, in his gift of the Spirit to us.
Because he is near, because his gentle love envelopes us, joy - even
amid the anxiety and turmoil of life - should be ours. Though sloth makes us
fear our spiritual responsibilities, Jesus assures us that his yoke is
easy and his burden light. God wants us to be joyful people, not
apathetic and indifferent and sour. The goodness of God is all
around us; he is indeed the cause of our joy. In him, as Jesus
promised, our joy will be complete. -thoughts taken from Choosing Virtue in a Changing World: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins Please Email Us With Any Comments or Feedback At ©2005 CopperCountry.com,Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |
