Catholic formation

Ways of Darkness and Light

Way of Darkness

The Seven Capital Sins

  • Pride

    Preoccupation with one’s own excellence or misery.

  • Avarice or Greed

    Disordered desire for possessions; setting our hearts on material things; selfishness.

  • Disordered Desire

    Failing to respect God’s gift of the body, purity, personal boundaries, or the duties of one’s state in life.

  • Anger

    Uncontrolled emotion which results in desire for revenge; holding resentment.

  • Gluttony

    The inordinate use of created goods—especially food and drink—that puts the pleasures of the body over the goods of the soul.

  • Envy

    Sadness at the good of another.

  • Sloth

    Bodily or spiritual laziness or neglect.

Sins Against the Theological Virtues

  • Presumption on God’s mercy

  • Despair of God’s mercy

  • Resisting or attacking the known truth

  • Envy at another’s spiritual good

  • Obstinacy in sin

  • Final impenitence—refusal to repent

Sins Crying to Heaven

  • Willful murder

  • Grave rejection of God’s design for the body and marriage

  • Oppression of the poor

  • Defrauding laborers of their wages

Nine Ways of Being Accessory to Another’s Sin

  • By counsel

  • By command

  • By consent

  • By provocation

  • By praise or flattery

  • By concealment

  • By partaking

  • By silence

  • By defense of the sinful action

The Works of the Flesh

  • Conduct contrary to purity and faithfulness

  • Disrespect for purity and personal boundaries

  • Reckless indulgence that dishonors God’s gift of the body

  • Idolatry

  • Sorcery

  • Hatreds

  • Rivalry

  • Jealousy

  • Outbursts of fury

  • Acts of selfishness

  • Dissensions

  • Factions

  • Occasions of envy

  • Drinking bouts

  • Indulgent gatherings that cast aside modesty and self-control

Way of Light

The Ten Commandments

  • I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.

  • Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.

  • Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.

  • Honor thy father and thy mother.

  • Thou shalt not kill.

  • Be faithful in marriage and respect God’s gift of the body.

  • Thou shalt not steal.

  • Thou shalt not bear false witness.

  • Thou shalt not covet another person’s spouse.

  • Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.

The Two Greatest Commandments

  • You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul and with all your mind.

  • You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The Precepts of the Church

  • You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation and rest from servile labor.

  • You shall confess your sins at least once a year.

  • You shall receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.

  • You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.

  • You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.

The Beatitudes

  • Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

  • Blessed are the meek; for they shall possess the land.

  • Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.

  • Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for justice; for they shall be satisfied.

  • Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.

  • Blessed are the pure of heart; for they shall see God.

  • Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.

  • Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’s sake; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

  • Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.

Three Eminent Good Works to Overcome Our Sinfulness

  • Prayer

  • Fasting

  • Almsgiving

The Seven Capital Virtues

  • Humility

    Acknowledgment of truth about God, oneself and others.

  • Generosity

    Doing actions for the benefit of others; selflessness.

  • Chastity

    Faithfully respecting God’s gift of the body according to His design and one’s state in life.

  • Meekness

    Gentleness of spirit that gives power of self-possession; governs anger.

  • Temperance

    Moderation of the desire for pleasure.

  • Brotherly Love

    Desire for the true good of one’s neighbor, which leads one to act rightly toward him.

  • Diligence

    Consistency in doing what is right.

The Theological Virtues

  • Faith

  • Hope

  • Charity

The Cardinal Virtues

  • Prudence

  • Justice

  • Temperance

  • Fortitude

The Corporal Works of Mercy

  • Feed the hungry

  • Give drink to the thirsty

  • Clothe the naked

  • Visit the imprisoned

  • Shelter the homeless

  • Visit the sick

  • Bury the dead

The Spiritual Works of Mercy

  • Admonish the sinner

  • Instruct the ignorant

  • Counsel the doubtful

  • Comfort the sorrowful

  • Bear wrongs patiently

  • Forgive all injuries

  • Pray for the living and the dead

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

  • Wisdom

  • Understanding

  • Counsel

  • Fortitude

  • Knowledge

  • Piety

  • Fear of the Lord

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

  • Charity

  • Joy

  • Peace

  • Patience

  • Kindness

  • Goodness

  • Generosity

  • Gentleness

  • Faithfulness

  • Modesty

  • Self-Control

  • Chastity

The Evangelical Counsels

  • Chastity

  • Poverty

  • Obedience