Retreatants adjust to silence, study sources of moral evil
It is 4:30 PM on Friday, and 109 men gather to hear their retreatmaster’s next lecture. Nearly 24 hours since the Manresa retreat began, the men have now adjusted to the silence they agreed to keep on their annual three-day retreat. They have prayed and worshipped as a group and individually. They have enjoyed three great meals together. After lunch today, each man used the nearly three hour period of unscheduled activity to his own advantage. Just a few minutes ago, they prayed the scriptural rosary as they slowly walked together outdoors under the oaks. Now inside Loyola Hall, the cooled air evaporates away all the unpleasantries of the July heat and humidity. Impressively, every man is seated and in place before the bell rings and Father Nick Schiro approaches the raised speaker’s platform. As soon as he places his lecture materials on the podium and recites the sign of the cross with the men, he prays, “Grant, O Lord, that all our thoughts, words, actions and intentions of this period may be directed purely to the praise, reverence and service of your Divine Majesty." “Amen,” the men agree. The words of the prayer seem more appropriate each time Father Schiro uses them to introduce his lecture. “Today we will take a look at evil,” he says. Characteristically allowing time for those words to sink in, he continues. “There are two types of evil - physical and moral.” Another pause, and he elaborates. Physical evil includes things that we can't control, such as natural disasters. Moral evil includes acts of a man's free will, commonly referred to as sin. “Once God gives us the gift of a free will, He has to allow us to choose between sin and loving Him.” Across the comfortable lecture hall, retreatants mentally bookmark various comments made during the lectures and prayerfully explore them again later; this is one such comment. Father Schiro continues, and offers King David as an example of both sin and repentance. He refers the retreatants to Samuel II, Chapter 11 where David illicitly fathers a child with Bathsheba and carefully arranges a situation such that her military husband “may be struck down and die” in battle. In the following chapter, after counsel with Nathan, David realizes, “I have sinned against the Lord,” and he repents. Sin is a generic term that has several meanings. Father Schiro defines original sin, which we inherited from Adam and Eve, as “the attraction that evil has for us.” Mortal sin is a serious offense. It is a serious matter, and you must know that you are doing something wrong. Venial sin is less serious. There are also the capital sins, which are things that lead us to do sinful acts. Many of us know them as the Seven Deadly Sins. Father Schiro elaborates on each, offering examples at each stop along the way.
PRIDE
Pride is putting yourself above others, looking down on those who are not like you. It is the act of being intolerant.GREED
Not many people realize that they are greedy, but there are many ways that we can be greedy. We should ask ourselves, “Do I possess things or do things possess me?” Another question could be, “Am I too busy working to spend time with my family?” Greed can make us deceitful.ANGER
Anger is a strong violent feeling. The feeling of anger is not in itself either good or bad; it is strictly an emotion, which is automatic according to the stimulus. However, your feelings follow your perceptions, so you need to be careful about what you perceive. You have a right to have an emotion (such as anger), but not to give in and act upon that feeling.ENVY
Envy is the feeling that your are threatened by the good fortune of others. This can lead us to sin.SLOTH
In the book “The Road Less Traveled,” the author Dr. M. Scott Peck says that sloth is the closest evidence of original sin. We are just too lazy to find our faults.GLUTTONY
Gluttony includes endangering your health by way of your eating or drinking habits.LUST
Like many feelings, the sin in lust is not the feeling itself - it is how I yield to the feeling. In conclusion, Father Schiro encourages the men to use the Seven Deadly Sins in their examination of conscience. He tells each man to ask himself, “Of these seven, what is the source of most of my trouble, and what can I do about it?”