CatholicTheology.info

Choose a topic from Part 2A:

• Man's Last End
• Human Acts
• The Passions
• Habits in General
• Virtues
• Vices and Sins
  • 71. Vice and Sin
  • 72. The Distinction of Sin
  • 73. The Standing of Sins Toward One Another
  • 74. The Subject of Sin
  • 75. The Cause of Sin
  • 76. Ignorance as a Cause of Sin
  • 77. The Sensitive Appetites as the Cause of Sin
  • 78. Malice as the Cause of Sin
  • 79. External Causes of Sin
  • 80. The Devil as the Cause of Sin
  • 81. Human Beings as the Cause of Sin
  • 82. The Essence of Original Sin
  • 83. The Subject of Original Sin
  • 84. One Sin as the Cause of Another
  • 85. The Effects of Sin
  • 86. The Stain of Sin
  • 87. The Debt of Punishment for Sin
  • 88. Venial and Mortal Sin
  • 89. Venial Sin
• Law
• Grace

84. One Sin as the Cause of Another

1. Covetousness, not as a general inordinateness of desire or asa general tendency to such inordinateness, but as a specialsin, is the root of all actual sins. This special covetousnessis the inordinate desire for riches. Riches (that is, money) open aready avenue to all excesses and sins, and are longed for bysinners. Not money itself, but the loveof money, the desirefor it, is the root of all evil, as St. Paul says (I Tim.6:10).

2. Pride as an inordinate desire to excel (not the pridewhich is an actual contempt of God or an inclination to thiscontempt), is back of the primal covetousness. Pride is thereforethe beginning of all sins. Man wants goods or riches to have someperfection by possessing them, or some excellence, or someoutstanding quality, or some notable enjoyment. Thus, whilecovetousness is the root of evil, pride is the beginning ofsins.

3. Therefore covetousness and pride are fundamental orcapital sins. These sins are like generals in an evilarmy; all the action of the evil warfare stems from them. And thereare also colonels and majors in the evil army; these too are listedwith the capital sins.

4. There are five sins in addition to pride andcovetousness that are rightly reckoned as capital sins. Hence, thecount of capital sins is seven: pride, covetousness, lust, anger,gluttony, envy, sloth.

"It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come."
Thomas á Kempis

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"Lord, take from me everything that hinders me from going to You. give me all that will lead me to You. Take me from myself and give me to Yourself."
St Nicholas Flue

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"Though the path is plain and smooth for people of good will, those who walk it will not travel far, and will do so only with difficulty if they do not have good feet, courage, and tenacity of spirit. "
St John of the Cross, OCD - Doctor of the Church

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