Prepare yourselves for the Messiah! PART TWO

Dear Friends!

As we continue our reflection on reconciliation, let us focus on the Seven Sins. We continue to read the notes from LHJ (Life Healing Journey).

CAPITAL SINS

PRIDE: is a refusal to accept my human condition and its limitations. Trying to accept God’s authority is the excess of Pride. Being less than human, refusing to accept personal value and being responsible about the care of self is the neglect of pride. ADORATION is the virtue that puts my relationship with God in the right order; I am a child of God.

RESENTMENT: (anger) is a destructive blaming of others and a desire for revenge. Apathy, a form of revenge, is getting even by not caring any more. LOVE is the antidote to resentment. Resentment is self-seeking; love is other-centered, looks for the good of others.

JEALOUSY: (covetousness) is resenting others for having what we do not have or being what we are not. This involves avarice, greed, bitterness and especially selfishness. GRATITUDE is the antidote. When we are grateful, we can’t be jealous.

INTOLERANCE: (envy) is resenting others for not being like us and not thinking or acting the way we do. This includes prejudice and fanaticism. UNION is the virtue that helps us see people, situations and events through the compassionate eyes of Jesus.

LUST: is a destructive way to avoid monotony, boredom, loneliness and real intimacy. One extreme is to use people sexually for self-gratification. This leads to manipulation and violence. Another extreme is to deny our sexuality and refuse to become warm, caring and responsive to others. SACRIFICE is a form of love that makes us willing to suffer for another. Jesus loved this way.

GLUTTONY: is a need and demand for immediate gratification. It is impatience. We substitute our lack of love with the abuse of food, drink and even gossip. PETITION as a virtue is a willingness to wait for God to answer our prayers. Petition demands patience and helps us accept the things we cannot change.

SLOTH: is a refusal to cherish personal goals, ideals and values. It is laziness in the service of others. Religious sloth is indifference about our relationship with God. COMPASSION is the virtue that allows the pain of others to touch us and move us to respond. Compassion expresses care for others and hunger for God.