Vices

Greed: Worshipping Worldly Goods

Greed: Worshipping Worldly Goods

Greed is an excessive love of worldly goods that leads to an unrestricted desire to acquire material things. We tend to associate it with money, but it can also be manifested in a love of clothes, jewelry, frivolous gadgets, etc. Greed is often a subtle vice, one we easily excuse.

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Envy: Desiring the Destruction of Another

Envy: Desiring the Destruction of Another

Envy is a sin alive and well in our society. Its venom courses through social media and news programs, school and work environments, and even into our churches and homes. Despite this, I’ve heard little mention of this sin. What is it exactly? How does it differ from jealousy? And what makes it so dangerous?

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Gluttony: Making an Idol of Food and Drink

Gluttony: Making an Idol of Food and Drink

When we think of gluttony, we probably picture somebody stuffing themselves to excess or guzzling down a huge bottle of liquor.  But the sin of gluttony encompasses more than overeating or overdrinking.  Pope St. Gregory the Great and St. Thomas Aquinas describe four other ways in which we can commit this sin.

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Sloth: A Shrinking from Love

Sloth: A Shrinking from Love

Sloth can be a difficult sin to identify.  The other capital sins are “active” sins: we consciously choose to do something evil.  Sloth is a sin of omission: we fail to do something good.  It is easy to dismiss because we’re not actively doing any harm—or so we think.

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