The Seven Deadly Sins: Sayings of the Fathers of the Church PDF
Preview The Seven Deadly Sins: Sayings of the Fathers of the Church
SAYINGS OF THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH Edited by Kevin M. Clarke 4 Foreword by MIKE AQUILINA The Catholic University of America Press Washington, D.C. n In memory of Fr. Matthew L. Lamb June 5, 1937–January 12, 2018 with deepest gratitude for his life of virtue and his vision for Catholic higher education. Ora pro nobis! Copyright © 2018 The Catholic University of America Press All rights reserved The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standards for Information Science—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. ∞ Cataloging-in-Publication Data available from the Library of Congress ISBN 978-0-8132-3021-4 CONTENTS CONTENTS Foreword by Mike Aquilina vii Preface ix Acknowledgments xv List of Abbreviations xvii Introduction 1 1. Gluttony 23 Gluttony 23 / Self-Mastery 36 2. Lust 46 Lust 46 / Temperance and Continence 57 3. Greed 68 Greed 68 / Poverty 80 4. Anger 90 Anger 90 / Long-Suffering and Patience 102 / Almsgiving 109 vi CONTENTS 5. Sloth 115 Sloth 115 / Work 129 / Prayer 133 6. Envy and Sadness 140 Envy 140 / Sadness 148 / Charity 156 7. Vainglory and Pride 163 Vainglory 163 / Pride 171 / Humility 179 Conclusion 188 Bibliography 199 Scripture Index 209 Subject Index 213 FOREWORD FOREWORD BY MIKE AQUILINA The writings of the Church Fathers can be daunting. The books sit thick on the shelves. To open one feels a bit like taking a vow; you have got to be in it for the long haul. We know the rewards are great, because others have told us so. We know, too, because we have seen so many statues and churches dedicated to St. Augustine and St. Ambrose—and no one gets that many statues and churches without first proving their usefulness. Still, we hesitate to make the commitment. Books of the Fathers rank with exercise equipment as possessions whose value we recognize, but whose use we avoid. I can think of no better—and more immediately helpful—way to begin to read the Fathers than in these pages, with these “sayings.” What you will find here is spiritual direction, distilled to its essence, from men whose counsel has been tested and proven by scores of gener- ations. This is the task the Fathers relished most. “I know no other life,” said Saint John Chrysostom to his congregation, “but you and the care of souls.” It does not matter that these men lived so long ago. The centuries fall away in the handling of our compiler. Kevin M. Clarke has not only read the texts of the Fathers; he has breathed their air. In his introduc- tory chapters he has produced an accessible work of intellectual history, detailing the development of a fascinating genre, the catalog of vices, in the works of both pagan and Christian authors. In subsequent chapters he helps us to understand how the church developed its understanding of each particular vice. He seems to know, however—in a more than ac- ademic way—the kinship of the Fathers, their counsel and direction. He vii viii FOREWORD knows their fatherhood. Thus, his commentary is every bit as useful as the primary sources he consults. The saints we meet in these pages should be more to us than foot- notes in big books. Yes, some of them were the best and brightest of their age, but they were not primarily scholars. They were pastors; they were fathers. They were daily about the business of caring for their spir- itual children, raising them up in virtue, leading them away from vice. The same work remains to be done today. No advances in technology or pharmacology have eradicated the ancient sins. No new discoveries have revealed shortcuts to virtue. We stand still in need of the very practical direction the Fathers have to give. We live in an age of unprecedented self-indulgence. So much is pos- sible, and we want it all. The market economy—worldwide—has made it easier for more of us to enjoy more of everything, and we do. Yet we are still restless. We still desire something we cannot find even in the vast online marketplace. We still want a wisdom that we sense we will find in the tradition of our elders. We will find what we want in the teaching of the Fathers. It is not that these men are killjoys. They argued effectively, after all, for the goodness of creation against subtle heresies that detested the things of this world. Nevertheless, the Fathers do give us pause. And we have grown unaccus- tomed to pausing. Kevin Clarke’s book will do lasting good for us who read it. PREFACE PREFACE When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest, but he finds none. Then he says, “I will return to my house from which I came.” And when he comes he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and brings with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So shall it be also with this evil generation.1 Though they were first spoken of demonic possession, these words of the Savior encapsulate well, it seems to me, the teachings of the Church Fathers regarding the struggle against the vices the demons induce in the soul. It almost seems as though one can never truly conquer vice in this life. Victory over any of the capital vices leads to vainglory and pride. Humility truly is the only narrow way to perfection, as we shall see. But why should we listen to the Fathers? Is not that very term of- fensive to our inclusive age? Turning to the Fathers is not to negate the profound dignity and contributions of early Christian women, of course. “Fathers” designates a select group of bishops, priests, theologians, and monks who lived at various times and in various places. Most of them are saints, but not all are recognized as such. They interpreted scrip- ture and helped guide the church through doctrinal controversies in the first eight or nine centuries after Christ. Generally, Catholics accept that John of Damascus, who died in the mid-eighth century, is the last of the Fathers. Pope Benedict XVI said in a general audience that St. Bernard 1. Mt 12:43–45. ix
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