A Thomistic Appraisal of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Capital Vices

As the desire for happiness underlies the desire for natural virtue, so the desire for God underlies the supernatural virtues, such that charity becomes the form or inspirer of all the virtues. What underlines all the vices is pride because pride influences all the mortal sins, since to choose spiritual, bodily, or material goods against reason tears one away from one's ultimate end, either directly by contempt of God or indirectly by preferring spiritual or material goods to God in such a way that envy of another's good brings sadness that tears away from a union with God. The arrogantly proud person reaches a point of not wanting to respect the limits of the natural law implanted in his soul by God or the divine precepts that are taught by revelation and associated with the theological virtues.

However, committing grave sin does not mean one has lost all affection for God, just as disobeying one's parents does not ipso facto mean definitively hating one's parents. Is there an overall principle at all for undermining virtue? It seems not, since some sins occur as a result of ignorance or weakness. Can a specific moral virtue be the result of ignorance or even weakness in another virtue? By accident this can happen if humility results. Sins of omission might be only materially evil and virtues only materially good when commanded by pride or one of the capital vices. In such cases, virtue is not implanted in the faculties of soul or in the passions.

Though St. Thomas did not know the work of Evagrius of Pontus (Antirrhêtikos, or Talking Back), he did know Cassian's Institutes and the Moralia of St. Gregory the Great, which deal with the realities of evil thoughts, deadly sins, capital sins, or (what finally becomes settled terminology) the seven capital vices. But, before we get to Aquinas's helpful insights into human nature, it is important to see what the Catechism teaches about the capital vices.

Pride and Its Property, Vainglory

The Catechism of the Catholic Church mandated by Pope St. John Paul II in 1992 has become a fine example of turning a corner concerning moral absolutes and other doctrinal disputes. However, I would suggest that a few supplements would be in order concerning the capital vices to flesh out more deeply some problems of the moral life. St. Thomas Aquinas's theology can be a great help especially when it comes to making an examination of conscience or preventing major falls from grace and in keeping the Christian faithful vigilant in their spiritual life. The spiritual combat takes place primarily against the enemies that flow from within, though often suggested from without by the media or the devil himself.

To begin with, unfortunately, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (hereafter, CCC) does not give a clear definition of what a capital vice is. Second, it prefers to call the seven dispositions capital "sins" instead of capital vices (§1866). Third, it merely gives a list of seven capital vices (ibid.), and it does not include vainglory in the list or follow Pope St. Gregory and Aquinas in teaching that pride is mother of the vices and not a capital vice in itself, strictly speaking, because pride pervades all the vices, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly.¹ The Catechism merely associates pride with selfishness (§1931) as causing both the hatred of God (§2094) and, often, the vice of envy (§2540), but it does not clearly show how and why pride causes these vices. Fourth, it merely states vainglory as an intention that can render a good action morally culpable without giving definition as to its underlying meaning (§1753). Nor does CCC mention the sins of contention or obstinacy, two daughters of vainglory, and it mentions discord only briefly, and without analysis. However, hypocrisy and boasting are mentioned as opposed to the virtue of truth (§§2468 and 2481), whereas Thomas places them as fruits or daughters of vain-glory. Further, CCC does not define anger, acedia, or gluttony. Their [End Page...