Envy is listed among the deadly sins for a good reason. As St. Cyprian tells us, envy just keeps gnawing at us unless we get rid of it. There will always be people who have more than we have; we need to learn to rejoice with them rather than envy them. The way we do that is by turning to Christ. What a gnawing worm of the soul it is—to envy someone for his virtue or for his happiness; to... Read more
Commodianus tells us that all our wars and fights come from our evil desires. If we want a glorious victory, we should overcome our passions. You wish to wage war, you fool, as if war were peace. From the beginning of the day to the end, you fight. Lust gets you started, and there is war. Fight your lust. Luxury persuades you. Forget about it, and you win the war. Do not drink too much wine, so that it will... Read more
St. Jerome was known for his hot temper and for some reason—we don’t know why—had not been on speaking terms with his own aunt for a long time. Here he writes her a letter begging for a reconciliation, remembering that he will be judged if he cannot forgive his old grudges. The Apostle and evangelist John rightly says that “any one who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15). For since hate often leads to murder, the one... Read more
When someone who hates you is in trouble, says St. Ephrem the Syrian, you should be in pain and mourning. Otherwise you fall into secret sin—and there will come a time when all secret sins are laid bare. You must not slander anyone, or that person may call you “Satan.” Do you hate the name? Then do not go near the act. But if you love the act, do not be angry at the name. Count yourself rebuked first of... Read more
If you struggle with covetousness, Asterius of Amasea has some surprising but practical advice for you. Instead of accumulating everything, just enjoy the sights in the market without buying. It would be better to get rid of your covetousness altogether, but at least a little window-shopping won’t take anything away from anyone else. I beg you, if you are covetous, do not undergo these infinite hardships. For the covetous man who lives in luxury is deserving of pity, since he... Read more
One of the greatest mysteries in Church history was where exactly was the final resting place of Saint Peter? Tradition had always told the Early Christians that Peter was buried on Vatican Hill under what is now known as St. Peter’s. John O’Neill is my guest this week and he uncovers the details of the quest to find the final resting place of Peter’s bones. It involves a Pope, a Texas oilman, and the quest of a lifetime. Join John... Read more
How dangerous is covetousness? St. John Cassian answers that it was this sin that led Judas to betray the Lord. Would you like to know how dangerously and harmfully covetousness, unless it has been carefully eradicated, will shoot up for the destruction of its owner, and put forth all sorts of branches of different sins? Look at Judas, reckoned among the number of the Apostles, and see how, because he would not bruise the deadly head of this serpent, it... Read more
Covetousness has a broad definition,says Asterius of Amasea. It’s not just wanting material things: it’s wanting more than you deserve in everything you do. Covetousness, then, is not simply being mad for money and other possessions, wishing to add what you have no right to have to what you already have. To speak more broadly, it is the desire to have in every transaction more than is due or belongs to you. And you know that the devil was the... Read more
Most other sins have natural limits, says Asterius of Amasea. But covetousness strangles us like a vine strangling a tree. You can’t get rid of it unless you take an axe to it. But now, leaving ancient history, let us look at our own daily lives, and learn what sort of thing covetousness is in our own experience, and how hard it is to get rid of; for no matter whom it seizes, ever growing but never shrinking, it grows... Read more
Giving in to anger, says Ephrem the Syrian, leads straight to hell. Christ endured every insult so that we could be preserved from wrath. You have a spiritual nature. The soul is the image of the Creator. Honor the image of God by being in agreement with all humanity. Remember death, and do not be angry, so that your peace will not be a peace of constraint. As long as you live, cleanse your soul from wrath. For if it... Read more
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