Random Thoughts And Late Reactions

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Holy Virtues

In every bad there's a good, whether you believe it or not. Sin as consumed most of mankind for the past years and sin is an influence man chooses to make. Of course if we choose to do good, we could avoid them all along. Here are the seven holy Virtues as opposed to the seven capital sins:


The Seven Holy Virtues

Ranked in ascending order of sanctity, the seven holy virtues are:

  • Chastity (Latin, castitas) (purity, opposes lust, Latin luxuria) —
    Courage and boldness. Embracing of moral wholesomeness and achieving purity of thought through education and betterment. Practicing proper love and its expression due to one's spiritual vocation.
  • Abstinence (Latin, frenum) (self-control, opposes gluttony, Latin gula) —
    Constant mindfulness of others and one's surroundings; practicing self-control, abstention, and moderation.
  • Liberality (Latin, liberalitas) (will, generosity, opposes greed, Latin avaritia) —
    Generosity. Willingness to give. A nobility of thought or actions.
  • Diligence (Latin, industria) (ethics, opposes sloth, Latin acedia) —
    A zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work. Decisive work ethic. Acting energetically without excessive reflection.
  • Kindness (Latin, patientia) (peace, opposes wrath, Latin ira) —
    Forbearance and endurance through moderation. Resolving conflicts peacefully, as opposed to resorting to violence. The ability to forgive; to show mercy to sinners.
  • Humility (Latin, humilitas) (modesty, opposes pride, Latin superbia) —
    Modest behavior, selflessness, and the giving of respect. Giving credit where credit is due; not unfairly glorifying one's own self.

Source: Wikipedia

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Sin

Sin - Man's tendency to do something wrong. You, me, him, her, your best friend, even that man who's standing behind you trying to strangle your neck does it. It's an every day matter that sometimes it becomes trivial. We can't escape it. In fact, we were even born with it. Almost everything we do is a sin - either by choice or not. Even when you choose to do absolutely nothing, you're committing a sin.

Man's downfall began when Eve was tempted by a serpent to eat the forbidden apple. Adam was too stupid that he followed her and up to now, we still make the same mistakes Adam and Eve made: Eve - who can't seem to be content on what she has goes looking for more, while stupid Adam only follows women and are easily tempted too nonetheless... You see them, modern day Adam and Eve.

It's very easy to sin. Punch anybody out of anger and you sin. Deny your brother a drink of water and you sin. Think lust about someone and you sin. Do nothing and you sin. Look at yourself with pride and you sin. You could think of countless possibilities to sin. It's wrong but then you still keep on doing it.

Sin is really a powerful force. It binds us unconsciously to do it's bidding. As for me, It took hold of my life and I was glad to do it and before I knew it, it became my lifestyle. And that is why I am making a commitment. A commitment for God, and a commitment for the sake of saving myself from the fires of hell. I don't care what purpose this commitment serves me. In fact, I don't care if there's any purpose at all. This I just feel like doing, and even though it doesn't feel right, I don't care. Listed below are the Seven capital sins and how it took part of my life:

* Luxuria (Lust)
* Gula (Gluttony)
* Avaritia (Greed)
* Acedia (Sloth)
* Ira (Wrath)
* Invidia (Envy)
* Superbia (Pride)



Luxuria (Lust)
- As one may define it, Luxuria or Lust simply means the obsessive or excessive thoughts about sex. Really, at this time and age, rarely is a man (except if you are one of the exceptional few) who does not lust over a woman who's drop dead gorgeous and sexy. Especially in this modern age where sex is commercialized in the industry. Like most men, I have poor control over my hormones and hence... you know what happens. Luxuria has controlled me ever since the day I discovered it.


Gula (Gluttony)
- Now here's the catch - I love to eat. Chicken Adobo, Afritada, Bicol Express, Chicken Curry, Shrimp Tempura, Sashimi, Sushi. As long as it's a delicacy, I could finish a whole kilo of rice together with any delicacy dish. Gula on the other hand defines itself as the excessive overindulgence of food and drink. But before I didn't think gluttony was a sin. In fact, I've never heard of it's name before. I was a certified glutton back then.


Avaritia (Greed)
- Here's a tricky one. Like Luxuria and Gula, Avaritia is also an excess but it focuses more on the acquisition of wealth. To all of the sins, Avaritia is the weakest in me. In fact, it's almost nonexistent in me. Wow...


Acedia (Sloth)
- I've got a lot to tell about this sin, but for the time being, on to the next!


Ira (Wrath)
- Ahh.. Hatred and Anger... I just love them. I just love expressing my anger through violent actions. Sometimes I can't even control myself when I'm angry. In fact, I don't even know myself when I'm angry. I'll let you in a secret. If you want to see me full of anger, hit me in the head, just above it or behind the eyes. If you hit me hard enough, you'll see something and when you look in my eyes, you'll swear you won't see me. Word of caution though, the target of my anger would then be you and you best run if you want to leave with your face intact.



Invidia (Envy)
- I really don't know when I'm envious to somebody but when I'm daydreaming about me being well, not being me, then I seriously consider that to be a product of Invidia. It clearly implies that I desire that which I lack that somebody has. Dante couldn't ave said it better: "love of one's own good perverted to a desire to deprive other men of theirs." Unconsciously, I have the tendency to do this.


Superbia (Pride)
- Ah, The capital sin that controls me - pride. The most powerful sin and probably the root of all other sins. The desire to rise above all others. Lucifer is a great example of the infliction of this sin. It was pride that caused him to fall in the heavens and hence transformed him to Satan. Pretty cool huh? Vanity and narcissism are also considered to be a product of Superbia.


You think doing sin makes you cool? You think Satan will bring you salvation? You think hell is a cool place? Wait 'till you find out it's punishments:

Sin Punishment in Hell
Pride Broken on the Wheel.
Envy Placed in freezing water.
Wrath Dismembered Alive.
Sloth Thrown in Snake Pits.
Greed Put in pots of boiling oil.
Gluttony Forced to eat live rats, toads, lizards and snakes.
Lust Smothered in Fire and Brimstone.


Nice...

* Lucifer: Pride
* Mammon: Greed
* Asmodeus: Lust
* Leviathan: Envy
* Beelzebub: Gluttony
* Satan: Wrath
* Belphegor: Sloth