THE CAPITAL SINS 



69 



foolish in the eyes of his fellowmen, injures the moral 

 character, favors sensuality and extravagance, and often 

 entails poverty and want. Intentional neglect of one's 

 personal appearance or of the rules of taste and good 

 breeding may also be put down as a kind of vanity. 



2. Presumption. — Presumption is an exaggerated no- 

 tion of one's intellectual or moral excellence, talents, vir- 

 tues, etc., attended by the wish to undertake things that 

 are above one's capacity. Intellectual presumption ren- 

 ders a man ridiculous, while moral presumption is de- 

 structive of religion and morality and often entails hy- 

 pocrisy. 4 



3. Ambition. — Inordinate ambition (prava ambitio) is 

 an unreasonable striving after dignities, honors, or power. 

 Ambition is commonly only a venial sin, but becomes 

 mortal when it employs grievously sinful means and dis- 

 regards the distinction between true and false honor. 5 



There is a just ambition which moves a man to desire 

 dignities and honors with moderation for the purpose 

 of being able to accomplish more for the glory of God 

 and the welfare of his fellowmen. "If a man desire the 

 office of a bishop, he desireth a good work," says St. 

 Paul. 6 



4. Arrogance (superbia completa sive perfecta) is that 

 haughtiness and proud contempt of others which leads 

 a man to despise and transgress human and divine laws. 



4 Cfr. Matth. VI, 1-6; VII, 1-5; 

 Luke XVIII, 10-14; 1 Tim. VI, 4. 

 — St. Jerome, Epist., 148 (al. 14), n. 

 20: "Aliud est virtu tern habere, 

 aliud virtutis similitudinem; aliud 

 est rerum umbram scqui, aliud veri- 

 tatem. Multo deformior ilia est 

 superbia, quae sub quibusdam hu- 

 militatis signis latet. Nescio enim, 

 quomodo turpiora sunt vitia, quae 



virtutum specie celantur." (Migne, 

 P. L., XXII, 1214). 



5 Cfr. St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 

 2a 2ae, qu. 131 sq. 



6 1 Tim. Ill, 1.— Cfr. C. Gennari, 

 Consultazioni Morali-Canoniche , Vol. 

 I, 2nd ed., Rome 1902, p. 638. — 

 Homer, Iliad, VI, 208. — It is not 

 honors and titles as such that are 

 forbidden, but the inordinate desire 

 for them. 



