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| Jesus, Meek and Humble of Heart, Make My Heart Like Unto Thine |
But, pride is also a sin against the Cardinal Virtue of temperance. Some Catholic believe that only strong people sin against pride, like those who are angry, choleric, controlling or violent. They think only the strong willed fall into pride.
On the contrary, those who are weak fall into pride as well as they are intemperate, sinning against the virtue of temperance.
Temperance may be the most common sin of Americans. Temperance brings sobriety into our lives, balance regarding food, drink, sex, spending money and so on.
Temperance allows one to be chaste, avoid lust and all those horrible sins connected to lust, such as pornography, homosexual sins, irregular marriages and adultery, fornication, lustful thoughts, lust for power, money, sex and avarice, which is greed. Gluttony, so obvious in the States, follows ignoring the virtue of temperance.
But, there are other sins and virtues which are connected to temperance which people may not realize are so.
The sins of the flesh, such as avarice, gluttony and lust seem the most obvious sins against temperance.
But, the sins of curiosity and gossip flow from intemperance. Curiosity, as I noted months ago, is a sin which must be contradicted by studiosity.
Excesses in speech flow from intemperance.
Excesses in emotions which are unjust flow from intemperance, such as the sin of anger, sometimes called wrath.
Sentimentality and self-pity are sins against temperance.
A person with the predominant fault of intemperance will be prideful, even in his sins.
Imagine boasting about sin....it happens.
Pride is a sin against temperance, as it is the opposite of humility and meekness. Again, look at Garrigou-Lagrange's graph from the other day.
Weak people sometimes imagine themselves as meek, but meekness has nothing to do with being weak. It has to do with truth, seeing ourselves as we really are before God.
Christ tells us that meekness brings beatitude.
In Matthew 5:5, He states: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
How ironic that those who are intemperate with regard to things and people think they are "getting the goods". Those who are grasping and commit avarice can only become holy through true meekness which is humility. Meekness choses to be lowly, unseen, humble. If we are confirmed, meekness is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which flows from being in sanctifying grace.
Those who are intemperate should pray for humility and do much mortification.
Let Our Lady teach us today the great virtues which combat intemperance, and today, on Easter, is the fulfillment of Mary's prayer of faith, hope and love.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.
(Lk 1:46-55)
Murals are from one of my favorite styles.
http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/05/i-love-benediktbeuron-style.html