2022 Lenten "Lights": Digging Up "Root Sins"

For the intentional believer, Lent rightly tends to be a time of purposeful change.  The liturgical calendar invites us to enter the desert with our Lord and take an axe to those things are  separating us from him.  If our life is not bearing much good fruit, perhaps we need to look at our roots. Deep in our hearts, we know that sin separates us from the Lord, that we cannot fellowship with sin and the Holy Spirit at the same time.  If we desire intimacy with Him, we must allow our hearts to be convicted, purified, and transformed. We agree to soul searching, house cleansing, and deep healing in order to be closer to the One we love and Who deserves our single hearted worship. While there can be different ways of tackling this topic, we will look at what the Catholic Christian tradition has long identified as the “three root sins,” around which other sins “cluster” and “grow.”

Scriptural basis for these root sins can be found in Genesis 3: 6 and 1 John 2: 16. “The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and was desirable for gaining knowledge. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6).  “For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world (1 John 2: 16).” A study and matching of these passages reveals pride, vanity, and sensuality.

What power do we give to this sin when it is unidentified and runs unchecked? We know we have an enemy, but do we know his plan of attack? Maybe it’s time to hatch a  strategic battle plan through the wisdom and power of the Lord. While we all have pride, vanity, and sensuality to a certain extent, growing self knowledge will reveal one of these as predominant (be sure to look at "the reason" you do what you).    

Pride is, “excessive love of one’s own excellence or desired excellence...(it) manifests itself when we seek our self-worth and security in our own abilities, traits and talents,” writes Dan Burke in Navigating the Interior Life. Indicators of pride are arrogance, indifference to others and unwillingness to serve, rebellion and insisting on being right, anger and failure to understand, judgementalism and holding grudges. Scripture exhorts, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4: 10).

​Vanity is, “excessive concern for and seeking our security in how we are perceived (what others think about us)” (Dan Burke, Navigating the Interior Life). Indicators of vanity are proverbial people pleasing, comprising principles or fluidity of truth, seeking   popularity and praise at any cost, shyness and fearing exclusion. Scripture advises, “Do not conform      yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God” (Romans 12: 2).

Sensuality is, “seeking our security and self-worth in possessions, comfort, or the avoidance of discomfort” (Dan Burke, Navigating the Interior Life).  Indicators of sensuality are laziness and procrastination, constantly choosing the easier option, acting according to one’s feelings, seeking comfort in food, drink, and other escapes (even work or ministry), and daydreaming. Scripture warns, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God” (Luke 9: 62).

If step one is identifying our root sin, step two is eliminating manifestations according to frequency and  severity. We always eliminate mortal sins, then venial sins, and then imperfections (in that order). Step three, then, is discovering in Jesus our specific role model and source of power. Let’s put this all together: the reality and horror of sin remains — so does the need for constant conversion (Chop! Chop!); try as we might, nothing is possible without the prompting and sustaining grace of God (Patience! Trust!). Therefore, begin by asking, “Lord, what are You calling me to focus on? How should I get there? Lord, please reveal yourself to me.” We might start with a vision statement and then formulate a strategic plan with no more than 3 action items to replace our bitter root sin with the sweetness of virtue. May the Lord guide and strengthen us this Lent, for, “If we have died with Christ, we believe we shall also live with him” (Romans 6: 8). *For more info on root sins, see Navigating the Interior Life by Dan Burke and Fr. John Bartunek, LC.