7 Deadly Sins - 7 Lively Virtues
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| Hits: 1263SEVEN DEADLY SINS - SEVEN LIVELY VIRTUES
At the end of the 1986 film, The Mission, written by Robert Bolt, the Papal Envoy Cardinal Altimorano surveys a South American village ravaged by violence and destruction, carried out by European soldiers, who supposed themselves to be acting under his orders. Summoning their commander, the Cardinal asks him, whether the slaughter he sees before him was truly necessary. "Yes" the captain responds, "You had no alternative. We must work in the world. The world is thus."
Thoughtfully, the cardinal corrects the soldier; "No senior" he says. "Thus have we made the world. Thus have I made it." Sin and evil permeate and pollute this world. Every culture in every age has had to face this reality, and has attempted to discover why 'the world is thus'. Several prominent theories or philosophies have been developed by science, culture or psychology, but a few brave religions have had the courage - the leap of faith - to hold on to the belief that God exists, that He is good and loving, and that He cares about the world we live in. To do so, in the midst of all the pain and suffering, however, requires a willingness not to look for somewhere to place the blame, but to take it. To admit, like the cardinal in the film, "thus have we made the world".
To recognize the tragic difference between the world as it first existed, and what it has become, is the first step in understanding the destructive essence of sin, developing a resolve to turn away from it, and to do our part in rescuing the world - even if we are only one seven billionth of the problem.
Doing what is right begins with an understanding of sin, proceeds towards personal repentance; forgiveness; grace, and ends with the practice of virtue. Jesus assures us that we are either part of the solution, or part of the problem. Starting September 20th - right after the 9:00 Mass - the Adult Faith Formation class will begin a six week series on the Seven Deadly Sins - understanding the destructive nature of each one - and then exploring Seven Lively Virtues which can counteract these destructive patterns in our lives. Please join us in saving the world!
"The Prayer of The Presence of God"
We must pray always in order to be on our guard. Our life, both of body and soul, our natural and supernatural life, is like a fragile flower. We live surrounded by enemies. Ever since man rejected the Light that was meant to show him the way, everything has become for us an obstacle and a danger; we live in the shadow of death."
— Dom Augustin Guillerand, p. 9
Step 1: Acknowledge our personal sinfulness, by recognizing and defining the capital sins, and their offspring.
Step 2: Ask and receive God's forgiveness, which was won for us on the cross.
Step 3: Discover the virtues, which can be exercised in our daily lives to combat our concupiscence, and the sins that so easily beset us.
Step 4: Celebrate the freedom, and joy of living in faith, hope and charity.
Hope to see you all there!
Cap
Caps Corner Bio
By the Fall of 2008 Mark Capuano (Cap) was comfortable and content with his life as an Evangelical Elder. Thinking he "had it all figured out" his thoughts were primarily on spending his remaining years in the company of friends and acquaintances within his tight circle of fellow believers in rural Ohio. God had other plans.
Spurred by a particularly harsh criticism of the Catholic Church he'd heard from a missionary to Italy, Cap decided to finally explore the history of Christianity in depth. Only this time, rather than reading what others had to say, he decided to go right to the source - the Apostolic Fathers. What he discovered changed his mind, his world, his life.
A study which began as an apology of Catholicism to be a legitimate, Biblically based Christian religion, ended up a defense of Orthodoxy itself, and the first step in a personal journey back to the Church of his youth. By the summer of 2011 the journey was complete. His book "Giving My Ancestors a Vote" details this thought process from a first person perspective. Mark's hope is that it will ultimately be of value as a starting point toward unity, which is the prayer of our Lord.
"Cap's Corner" is a collection of short thoughts and lessons, also intended to help others along their own person faith journey. Never at a loss for wit, you may find these articles interesting and enjoyable.
Cap currently resides in Bolivar, Ohio and is a member of The Church of The Holy Trinity in Zoar. A professional chemical/materials engineer, he is now retired from The Timken Steel Company. In addition to Jesus Christ, his passions include music, reading, and fishin'.