Seven Deadly Sins

Saturday I watched a four hour movie on the Seven Deadly Sins in a modern high school setting.   It was taken from some books written by an author I was not familiar with and so have forgotten the name.  However, it was extremely well done but certainly could not have been made in the 40's or 50's when I was in high school.  I don't believe we had so much evil and mischief in our hearts.  Or the writer was just exaggerating all the weaknesses of the youth today as the writers exaggerate all the weaknesses of men and women in Desperate Housewives.

Anyway it made me curious to look up the history of the Seven Deadly Sins and the one that surprised me was Acedia/discouragement.  This is "neglect to take care of something that one should do."  It is translated to apathetic listlessness, depression without joy.  It is similar to melancholy.  In early Christian thought, the lack of joy was regarded as a wilful refusal to enjoy the goodness of God and the world God created..."

"Despair is the precipitating cause of suicide.  Feelings of hopelessness, despondency, and impending doom...Since sadness often results in acedia, Pope Gregory's revision of the list subsumed Despair into Acedia."

 "Sloth --Gradually the focus came to be on the consequences of acedia, rather than the cause, and so by the 17th century the exact deadly sin referred to was believed to be the failure to utilize one's talents and gifts.  In practice, it came to be closer to sloth.  The modern view goes further, regarding laziness and indifference as the sin at the heart of the matter...more a sin of omission than of commission." (Wikepedia)

In other words we need to avoid Acedia and follow the admonition of Paul:

"We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.  If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after those things." (13th Article of Faith)

We need to be "UP in a DOWN WORLD.".

or as Charlie Chaplin wrote in his song called SMILE:

Smile though your heart is aching

Smile even though it's breaking.

When there are clouds in the sky

you'll get by.

If you smile through your pain and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll see the sun shining through

For you.

Light up your face with gladness,

Hide every trace of sadness.

Although a tear may be ever so near

That's the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what's the use of crying.

You'll find that life is still worthwhile-

If you just smile.

"We don't smile because we are happy, we are happy because we smile."