I’m still thinking about the inward journey of Advent. That part of the path where we check in with ourselves to uncover the status of our heart at this time of year.
I experienced a series of “visions” many years ago during a month of meditation sessions. At first, I was walking along a residential street pausing to notice an old house. The yard was overgrown with weeds, the walkway cracked, the fence in disrepair. But I was fascinated. A few days later, I decided to enter (thinking either Jung or Scooby Doo?). A door drew my attention. Eventually, I opened the door. It was, of course, to the cellar. A guide appeared, and we descended the stairs.
I was introduced to visualizations of every kind of sin. The experience told me that within myself, I was capable of all sin. And, that is true. I may not perform every sin, but I realize that I am capable if I slide that direction.
[The series of meditations continued to where the cellar experience changed from revealing my weaknesses to celebrating acceptance into a huge party of every type and kind of God’s children. We are all people to be loved and served.]
The desert fathers of the early church studied the evil passions. They have taught me about self-awareness of the presence of the passions (emotions or destructive thoughts) and ways of mitigating them.
We cannot stop thoughts from entering our minds and guts. It’s whether we let them fester and grow or deal with them that determines our life stance.
Evagrius Ponticus, one of these early desert fathers, compiled a list of these passions—eight in number. A later Pope called Gregory the Great reformulated them as the Seven Deadly Sins.
These eight, you ask?
- Gluttony
- Lust
- Avarice
- Sadness
- Anger
- Acedia/Sloth
- Vainglory
- Pride
Evagrius emphasized achieving apatheia—freedom from destructive passions—as a goal of the spiritual life. Not emotional numbness, but freedom from being controlled by passions
Check out the list. Which are we prone to sit in? How can becoming aware of these propel you to seek the words of Jesus that will free us from wallowing in these destructive passions?
Advent—a time to prepare our hearts for the coming (or re-entry?) of Jesus.
Faith Venture 
Leave a comment