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| An Allegory of Man |
What is the cure for the soul that is weary? What is the antidote to a world stricken with vice? The remedy for the soul overwhelmed by despair?
What "sweetens" the crosses we bear?
The answer is one and the same for all of the questions above.
Virtues. Those God given helps for the soul. The beautiful "coat of many colors" the soul needs to be cloaked in...that God yearns to cover its nakedness, its poverty, with so it doesn't walk about the world completely exposed to that which seeks to harm it.
In the painting above, "An Allegory of Man", Man is being attacked by the Seven deadly Sins and Death, but is shielded by the Seven Virtues. We have really gotten away from studying and practicing the virtues in the past century and this loss is becoming more noticeable each day as the proliferation of every kind of sin and vice sweeps across humanity. Sometimes it's hard to believe that we can be so obdurate in our unwillingness to see what is as plain as the nose on our face:
The world is drowning in the Seven Deadly Sins. We all struggle with them but millions have given themselves over to them completely.
The loss of the practice of virtue in this world has had tragic repercussions. One of the effects of the Deadly sins is that they do in fact have a deadening effect on the soul. The soul grows numb and weary. It cannot function properly in the manner that it was created to - as a clean and holy temple of the Holy Spirit. It loses its sense of being closely connected to God. The soul falls asleep, you could say.
We are a people who are snoring their way into oblivion. An oblivion where no one exists except me, myself, and I. The ultimate dreamworld where the only god that exists is the god of self. A world where people have forgotten both God and neighbor. (Oh, wait, so sorry...I forgot that this "dreamworld" actually has a name. Hell, I think it's called. )
The virtues on the other hand "wake up" the soul. They have a vivifying effect on it because their source is God. When the soul is not coated in virtues it feels their absence because the spiritual state of man depends on the virtues. We have lost our understanding of the protection virtues give us, a truth which the people of past centuries understood well.
When our physical bodies are ill they manifest clear symptoms so that we know something is wrong. It's the same for our souls - they too manifest spiritual symptoms so that we may take note and apply the remedies needed to cure its ills.
And God has given us so many remedies.
One of the greatest is Confession, which purges the soul of the poisons within it. Once the poison is cleared, the virtues have the necessary room to take root, flourish and grow. Not confessing our sins is like trying to plant a seed in rocky soil, the plant has no room to grow because the soil (of the soul) is so poor. Confession removes the rocks and preps the soil.
Prayer is the conduit through which the soil is watered.
Holy Scripture and the Eucharist feed it. (Anyone who likes gardening knows soil needs to be fertilized to produce anything worthwhile.)
The virtues protect it and cause the soil of the soul to produce fruit abundantly.
Let's turn the tide of sin and despair in our world today by praying for and practicing the virtues.
Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.
St Francis of Assisi
The reason "the world is drowning in the Seven Deadly Sins" is because many people have convinced themselves there is no sin as such. There is no Heaven and hell. There is no tempting devil. In fact, they're sleep-walking their way into hell.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Hi Victor,
Delete"In fact they are sleep-walking their way into hell" - yes, to put it bluntly. I was doing this too before God woke me up. And because sin darkens the mind I was not aware how far I had walked down this terrible road. It took a big wake-up call before I was spiritually alert enough to become aware that I was doing so.
Thank you for your comment.
Hi Mary! I wonder if I could recite the Virtues and the Deadly Sins? I think I'll look them up when I'm done writing here.
ReplyDeleteWe are so blessed to have the helps we need in Confession and the Sacraments. What a rich deposit of grace to hold us with God. He knows how we struggle, but I think as long as we are struggling there is hope. It's when I don't try anymore...that would be a problem. May I never get to that point!
Ceil
Hi Ceil,
DeleteConfession really is a huge grace, as are the other Sacraments. I agree that as long as we are trying there is hope and if we are not trying because we have no hope God can heal this too and set us back on our feet if we turn to Him. I have been to this point which is why I like to write about the virtues and vices so much. I understand how great their presence (the virtues) in our lives are. It's something I really work on with God's help. But I still have a long way to go. When I think of where I started from though I can say that God has been very, very good to me.
Thanks for commenting!
This post is eye opening, true and filled with Christ's unconditional love. God Bless you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lora - I appreciate the feedback! God bless you too!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Mary! you tell it like it is!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mallory :) That's the only way to tell it when it comes to our spiritual lives!
ReplyDeleteExcellent post to start Lent! It is so sad to think about - how many millions are numb. I pray for them.
ReplyDeleteOn a humorous (kind of) note, we have a Bible study group this Lent called the 7 Sins. I told the leader that I didn't need to attend ... unfortunately I was already an expert!
God Bless you.
Thank you, Michael. Just think, you could have LED the group instead! (Kidding!)
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
This post reminds me of Father Robert Barron's CD titled "The Seven Deadly Sins; The Seven Lively Virtues." It's a Lighthouse Media production my husband and I listened to on our vacation this summer.
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said about not realizing how far down the road we are sleepwalking to hell. Thanks to God's mercy we can turn back at any time and resolve never to take that path again.
I'll have to check out that CD, Barb. I like Fr. Barron and listen to Lighthouse Media CD's in my car all the time. I'll keep my eye out for this one. Our parish has a rack of them and you put money in a box and choose which one you want - I've listened to some great ones over the past few years!
ReplyDelete