Tag: Vice

Guide to Goodness

Winning the Spiritual Battle of Gluttony with Temperance

Smitten With Goodness
Temperance from the Virtues, Philips Galle, The Met

I heard somewhere that we usually oscillate between two of the seven sins.  It took me many years to surrender my self-reliance (pride) and envy over to God.  Now it seems I struggle with worry (sloth) and the sin we will discuss today.  Over the past year, I have been contemplating the virtue of temperance, which is how I love my body, aligning it with God for His purpose.  When I keep my body clean and pure, moderate what I eat and drink, continent in my use of touch, chaste in all my senses, and cooperate with grace, I can bear the good fruit of modesty, self-control, and chastity.

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Gift of Goodness

Gift of Goodness – November 11, 2021

Smitten With Goodness
A bit of goodness to start your day.

Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires greed into gratitude.

St. John Chrysostom
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Guide to Goodness

Winning the Spiritual Battle of Greed with Generosity

Smitten With Goodness
Art by Melanie Boutiette Just Beloved

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.  There are no greater commandments than these.  As the Gospel of Mark 12:28 reminds us, when Jesus was asked about the first commandment, he answered by linking these two commandments together.  We learn to love God by loving our neighbor.  The sin we dive into today destroys our ability to love in this way.  If we are driven by the culture which tells us to always acquire more, we lose sight of how to love our neighbor.  The Church, comprised of people, has historically provided for our neighbors in need in living out these commandments.  But the tides are turning in our culture as we turn from God, and replace it with the expectation that government should provide the solution.

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