Our first reading gives us an opportunity to reflect on the seven capital sins.
The capital sins are pride, avarice, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and sloth. They are called "capital" because they form the basis for other (often more serious) sins, as we see in our first reading.
Capital sins not only can lead to more serious sins, but they often become mortal sins over time in their own right. That being said, generally speaking, capital sins begin as simple imperfections.
We need to reflect on how the capital sins, no matter how insignificantly they may seem to manifest themselves in our lives, have come to hinder our true freedom in Christ and hinder the full movement of grace in our lives.
Let’s take a look at how the capital sins were manifest in the life of David.
Sloth is often defined as laziness or apathy toward responsibilities. We often think of that as a physical laziness, but it can also mean spiritual apathy; including a neglect of our vocation.
David was neglectful of his vocation. Our reading begins with David sending his army out to fight the Ammonites. A king faithful to his vocation would have been with his men. Instead, David chose to stay in Jerusalem. A decision that created a void of purpose that left him vulnerable to temptation.
Lust is the excessive craving for sexual pleasure. This one is probably pretty obvious. He saw Bathsheba bathing from his rooftop and pursued her, which of course led to adultery.
Avarice, or greed, is often thought of as obsessive desire for material wealth. But, it is not limited to material wealth.
Despite the multiple wives and concubines David had, he wanted the one thing that was Uriah’s. He wanted Uriah’s wife. He stole the poor man’s “beloved ewe lamb”, as Nathan would put it in the rebuke that you will likely hear tomorrow.
Pride is excessive self-importance or arrogance. David thought he could take what he wanted without regard to anyone else. Then, he made himself the author of life and death in his attempt to manipulate the situation. He thought he was above the very laws he had the responsibility to uphold as king.
Envy is seen as jealousy over the traits or possessions of others. Certainly envy was involved in David’s drive to pursue Bathsheba.
However, I think there is another thread worth discussing. As David was trying to trick Uriah, the righteousness and honor of Uriah prevented him from going home to Bathsheba…a level of righteousness and honor that David probably realized he was lacking in the moment. This likely stoked a resentment in David that ultimately led to the murder of Uriah.
Wrath is intense or uncontrolled anger. While we do not see this intensity in how the situation is described in our reading, we still get a feel for how cold and calculating David was toward his plan to have Uriah murdered. Further, consider his indifference toward all the other men that died alongside Uriah, another symptom of his wrath. Ultimately, it was a total disregard for the sanctity of human life in order to satisfy his own desires.
Finally, gluttony, which is an overindulgence in food, drink, or consumption. In this case, gluttony is used as a weapon. David uses excessive food and wine in an attempt to break the will and resolve of Uriah.
The story of David reminds us that the seven capital sins are part of human nature. Each of us experiences capital sins as part of our lived experience.
Between now and Ash Wednesday, the invitation is to reflect on how each of the capital sins are present in your life. What are some of the things in your life that you can give up that would help you resist the capital sins going forward? At the same time, what virtuous acts can you put into regular practice to counteract the effects of capital sins in your life?
These are our invitations as we prepare our hearts for the season of Lent. This is how we grow in our conformity to Christ. This is how we enable the seeds of faith to grow in our life that they may yield fruit for the harvest.
In solidarity with David, let us pray: “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.”
Thanks be to God!
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