The Seven Deadly Sins, part 1
St Thomas Aquinas wrote: “inordinate self-love is the cause of every sin … the root of pride is found to consist in man not being, in some way, subject to God and His rule.”
Taking up these words was Fr Patrick O’Donohue, our Mass celebrant yesterday. He is currently a postulant with the FSSP in Reading and was visiting Bedford for the second time. He gave an inspiring homily on the sin of Pride, saying that pride in our gifts and achievements, and acknowledgement of them in others, was necessary for our own self-respect and good relationships. However, when we take credit for these gifts ourselves and do not recognise them as coming entirely from God, this can cross the boundary into pride. Indeed the Fall arose from Pride, and thus it may be considered the most deadly of the Seven Deadly Sins as it gives rise to the others. To counteract Pride, we should strive to cultivate the corresponding virtue, Humility.
We look forward to six more homilies on the other Deadly Sins from Fr O’Donohue in the coming months!
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