During Lent and Holy Week we
are exposed to some of the most fundamental statements of our faith: The 10
Commandments (also known as the 10 Words or Decalogue) and the Baptismal
Covenant. In the spirit of these foundational texts, and as resource for living
them out, here are some other time-tested tools for living the Christian faith
in daily life.
The Seven Capital Virtues
Humility: To
live in right relationship with God and others; to be grounded in reality
Charity:
Generosity through knowledge that all we have is a gift from God
Chastity:
practicing a life of purity, free from corruption of self or others
Patience: a
life of peacefulness and actions promoting peace
Temperance:
practicing self-control and moderation, judging prudently
Kindness:
charity, compassion, and friendship with an unselfish heart
Diligence:
fortitude and steadfastness in work and service with personal integrity
The Seven Capital Sins
Pride: The
lack of humility befitting a creature of God
Greed: too
great a desire for money or worldly goods
Lust: impure
and unworthy desire for some created thing or experience
Anger:
unworthy irritation and lack of self-control
Gluttony:
the habit of eating or drinking too much
Envy:
jealousy of some other person’s perceived happiness
Sloth/Accidie:
the choice to avoid God’s claim on our life to worship God and serve others.
Nine Ways of Participating in Another’s
Sin
At the Great Vigil of Easter we definitively renounced
“Satan, all evil powers, and all sinful desires.” The Christian must struggle
in an unseen inner battle with these forces throughout life, as well as with
the sinfulness around us. The following is a list of tools Christians may use
to bring this wider struggle to consciousness. Each of these actions or
omissions is a form of direct participation in what we have renounced before
God:
By counsel (encouraging others to sin)
By command (using one’s position or authority to make
others sin)
By consent (agreeing to the initiation of sinful action)
By provocation (egging another on to sin or making
conditions right for sin)
By praise or flattery (encouraging another’s sin through emotional
manipulation)
By concealment (hiding a sin so it may be committed freely)
By partaking (sharing in the sin, thus giving license and
approval)
By silence (not speaking or acting in appropriate ways
against sin)
By defense of the sin
committed (actively trying to turn sin
into a blessing)
The Chief Aids to Penitence
These are the elements of living the Gospel life
(based on Christ’s own teaching in the Sermon on the Mount):
Prayer
Fasting
Performance of the spiritual
and corporal works of mercy
The Chief Spiritual Works of Mercy
Those actions tend the spiritual needs of others; the
first three may require special instruction; the final four are the obligation
of all Christian faithful.
To instruct those without
spiritual knowledge
To counsel those afflicted by
doubt
To admonish those committing
sin
To comfort the sorrowful
To suffer wrongs patiently
To forgive injuries
To pray for the living and
the dead
The Chief Corporal Works of Mercy
Those actions that tend to the bodily needs of others,
expressing God’s love and the justice of the Kingdom
To feed the hungry
To give drink to the thirsty
To clothe the naked
To ransom captives
To shelter the homeless
To visit the sick
To bury the dead
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
These gifts are given in Baptism and strengthened in
Confirmation.
Wisdom
Understanding
Counsel
Fortitude
Knowledge
Piety
Fear of God
The Fruits of the Holy Spirit
These are the characteristics (derived from Sacred
Scripture) of people who are living in the presence and power of the Holy
Spirit. If one experiences growth in these areas—however small—one is truly
showing forth the fruits of the Kingdom. If these characteristics are
diminishing or absent, it means we are living according to the “spirit of the
world.”
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Long-suffering
Mildness
Fidelity
Modesty
Continence
Chastity
The Theological Virtues
These three virtues are
provided by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 as the bedrock characteristics of all
true Christian theology and
Faith
Hope
Charity (Love)
The Principal Feasts
To be observed by participation by a Christian in the
Holy Eucharist (all parishes should make every effort to observe each of these);
if your parish does not observe a Principal Feast, you should encourage the
priest in charge to do so, or attend a neighboring parish that does.
Easter Day
Ascension Day
The Day of Pentecost
Trinity Sunday
All Saints’ Day—Nov. 1 (or
the Sunday following)
Christmas Day—Dec. 25
The Epiphany—Jan. 6
The Sunday Obligation
Each Sunday is a Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ. A
Christian should observe each Sunday by participation in the Holy Eucharist whenever
possible, the exception being an absence worthy of a blessing (sickness,
travel, performance of a work of mercy, &c.). When unable to attend the
Sunday Eucharist, it is advised that a person make a Spiritual Communion
(found in the "Eucharist" section of this Blog) and attend the Eucharist at the next opportunity.
Fast Days
(BCP p. 17)
The Church recognizes the following days of absolute
fast (excepting for health reasons):
Ash Wednesday
Good Friday
Days of Special Devotion
The following days are
observed by special acts of discipline and
self-denial:
Ash Wednesday and the other
weekdays of Lent and of Holy Week,
except the feast of the
Annunciation.
Good Friday and all other
Fridays of the year, in commemoration of the
Lord’s crucifixion, except
for Fridays in the Christmas and Easter
seasons, and any Feasts of
our Lord which occur on a Friday (details about the observance of a Friday devotion may be found elsewhere on this Blog).
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