DRE, Ibadan Archdiocese

The word capital is derived from the Latin word “caput”, meaning “head”. St. Thomas Aquinas stated that a capital vice, as he preferred to call sin, is that which has an exceedingly desirable end, due to its desire for that end, a man goes on to commit many sins. Thus, all of these sins are said to originate in that vice as the chief source.

In his book, Summa Theologiae, Aquinas looks at the habits that lead to series of sins, thereby making the habit the head of the sin which it leads to. Capital sin leads to a chain of actual sins, which could be mortal or venial. As in the case of a capital city, which is the seat of power from where other cities receive directions, capital sin happens to be the head sin that leads to other sins. They are so referred to not necessarily because they are grave, but because they are the basis for committing other sins.

Capital sin is perceived as a perverse love for something. There are seven capital sins, namely pride, avarice or covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and sloth.

 

Pride

Pride is an inordinate desire for one’s own excellence.  This is an undue self-esteem or self-love, which seeks attention or prefers the self’s will to God’s own. It is an unreasonable feeling of superiority of one’s own talent, beauty, wealth, rank, etc. Pride is a disdainful behaviour or treatment projected by a display of an excessive opinion of one’s importance, superiority, wealth, beauty, or merit, either in conduct, or in the mind. The book of Proverbs warns against pride: To honour the Lord is to hate evil. I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and falsehood (Proverbs 8:13) Pride leads to destruction and arrogance to downfall (Proverbs 16:18).

As a capital sin, pride is the source of feeling entitled, bullying, and deceptive tendencies. Human conflict is often rooted in pride.

Covetousness

This is the excessive love of possessions or riches, and desire for wealth, or gain, that is, greed. The book of Hebrews 13:5 admonishes us to avoid it:  Keep your life free from the love of money and be satisfied with what you have. The very core of crime today lies in greed or avarice, which has led to murder, betrayal, and disobedience.

Lust

Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for an object or a circumstance fulfilling the desire. It is also an undue desire or craving for sexual pleasure, it is the basis of the sins of adultery, fornication and the likes.