Learn to discern. We all know what sin is, right? Right?! Once upon a time in the desert , the hermit Evagrius Ponticus (d. 399) set out to make a list of the most deadly ones, albeit he called them “deadly thoughts,” not “sins.” You probably know the list, even if you don’t think you do: gluttony, impurity (a.k.a. lust), avarice (a.k.a. greed), sadness (a.k.a. feeling sorry for oneself), anger or wrath, acedia or sloth, vainglory, and pride (two different things). Not quite the list you were expecting? That is because some centuries later—we’re talking ancient times here, when centuries passed like decades do now (or vice versa)—Pope Gregory the Great (d. 604) revised the list, somewhat accidentally, in his commentary on Job. Gregory had been expounding Job according to its multiple layers—yes, that’s right! Job, like Shrek, has layers! —and he happened somewhere in book XXXI to mention the “seven principle vices” to which Pride, the “Queen of Sins” gives rise: Vainglory, Envy,
Good Morning, Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI started reading your blog a few days ago when I was doing a google search for "fencing and the spirit." I started a fencing class at College of Lake County last week and I think I'm hooked :) I've been reading your blog from the very beginning...feel like I'm supposed to for some reason...and enjoying it very much! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on fencing and much more! Have a great day...maybe the rainy Chicago weather will be a good day for writing??
Jean :)
Welcome, Jean! I am so happy that you have been enjoying reading my blog! And welcome to fencing, it is an amazing (and potentially obsessive) sport! Most of my posts on fencing as such, as opposed to tournaments, are in the first couple of years of the blog archive, but it all fits together--fencing, writing, dealing with clutter--in learning to pray, or so I have found.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good wishes for today's writing--it does look like a good day for prose!