The early church desert fathers spent years, sometimes most of a lifetime, in solitude in the desert, where they meditated, contemplated, and put into action what they believed were principles of living for a fuller devotion to Christ. Although we today might differ with those sages of old on certain points, some of their contributions to the ways of Christian living are valuable jewels. One of those rich gems is commonly called the “seven deadly sins,” more accurately named the “Seven Capital Vices.” They are: envy, vainglory (pride in oneself), sloth, greed, anger, gluttony, lust.

Vices are learned patterns of sin which are deadly, first, because they can become so entrenched in the thinking and living of the Christian that they become habits with which we can grow so comfortable we often do not even realize that we are controlled by them. Second, they are dangerous because so many other sins can grow from them. Think about it. Greed, once it takes hold of a person, can give rise to stealing, cheating, lying, denying justice and charity to others, and so many other tragic effects.

So, how can we be free from these “gateway” sins? For each vice, there are certain virtues God can use to help us change. All the vices grow from the root of pride, while every corresponding virtue springs from the root of love. Love for God overcomes the power of sin. This series of sermons explains each prideful vice and how to apply God’s remedy of love.