Examination of Conscience According to the Eight Principal Vices of Saint John Cassian

Shared by the Diocese of Stokholm of the Church of the G.O.C. of Greece

 

 

There are many who find it difficult to know what to say when they go to confession, and we have previously published an examination of conscience with advice, but this article is intended as a supplement and is written on the basis of a book that can truly be recommended.

The book is entitled The Pure Heart – On the Soul’s Boldness in the Struggle for Purity of Heart and is a brief, 146-page summary of Saint John Cassian’s two major works, which he wrote at the request of his bishop in order to summarize what he had learned from the Desert Fathers whom he had met. The book is published in Swedish by Artos, and the most recent edition is from 2010.

(https://artos.se/bok/det-rena-hjartat-om-sjalens-djarvhet-i-kampen-for-det-rena-hjartat/)

Saint John Cassian was born around the year 360 in what is now Romania. After entering a monastery in Bethlehem as a young man, he made his way to the harsh desert landscape of Egypt. Among the Desert Fathers there, he sought out the foundations of the search for God and of how one is to attain a pure heart. In his two books, we encounter a person who himself received tried and trustworthy teaching. He himself had walked the path, and he knew that it was long and difficult. But he had received the gift and ability both to reveal what the obstacles consist of and at the same time to inspire the Christian with courage and desire to continue onward. His life’s work came to an end around the year 430 in what is now Marseille, France, where he founded two monasteries, one for monks and one for nuns, and wrote down his teachings in two books at the bishop’s request.

For Saint John Cassian, the pure heart is a heart that loves. All toil and all asceticism have this one purpose: to be a path of training toward love. At the same time, the expression “the pure heart” shows what the struggle consists of: freeing the heart from everything that defiles it, which for him is gathered under the concept of “vices” (from the Latin vitium, which goes back to the verb vitiare, to corrupt, wound, injure, spoil, or falsify).

Everything that man does is a response to God’s calling. But the one who seriously answers this calling soon discovers that there are obstacles along the way, many and persistent, which must be removed if man is to take possession of the faith.

When Saint John Cassian speaks in detail about the vices, it is this work of clearing away that he has in mind. The Byzantine Fathers call this in Greek “praktikē” (practice), meaning that which concerns asceticism, spiritual training, and struggle. Only after this comes “theoria” (theory), that which is the goal of the Christian life: the contemplation of God. This spiritual growth is often described by the three words: purification, illumination, and union.

This does not mean, however, that one passes from one stage to another and thereby leaves the previous one behind. The Christian life remains a struggle for as long as one lives. The vices are what hinder the full Christian life. Saint John Cassian says that the vices “bind the heart together” and become a false basic disposition toward life.

Saint John Cassian also uses another word, “passions” (in Latin, “passiones”), alongside vices (“vitium”), but he is not always consistent in his terminology. Sometimes he speaks of passions when he means vices. By passions, however, he usually means the fundamentally good emotional powers that man possesses by nature. It is when they pull in the wrong way and in the wrong direction that they become a vice to be fought.

Saint John Cassian speaks of eight principal vices. He begins with what we might call bodily vices: gluttony, fornication (unrestrained sexuality), and avarice. He then proceeds to the vices that concern the soul: anger, sorrow, and acedia, and concludes with the vices that concern the spirit: vainglory and pride.

These can therefore serve as a good mirror when we go to confession. For the person who says, “I do not know what to confess. I cannot think of any particular sins,” here we are given a concrete way into self-examination without reducing confession to a legalistic list of transgressions. It is therefore worth emphasizing—and strongly underlining—that confession is not primarily an inventory of faults, but an encounter with Christ in which we lay our wounds before Him in order to receive healing. Saint John Cassian’s eight principal vices can then serve as eight doors into the heart—not in order to weigh us down, but so that we may see where we need God’s grace, forgiveness, and help in the continuing struggle.

For Saint John Cassian, the principal vices are not merely individual actions, but recurring inclinations that can express themselves in thoughts, words, habits, and actions.

It may be wise to begin confession with a very simple invitation:

“We do not need to try to remember every individual sin. Instead, consider: Where have you, during the recent period, found it most difficult to live in communion with God? What thoughts, feelings, or habits have recurred? Is there anything that weighs on your conscience, anything you are ashamed of, or anything that you notice has gained power over you?”

Then we can go through the principal vices calmly and without going into details.

1. Gluttony – when the desire for pleasure is allowed to rule – vitium gastrimargiae

This is not merely about eating too much. Saint John Cassian also speaks of becoming preoccupied with food, drink, taste, timing, and satisfaction. In our own time, one can also ask about other forms of consumption and pleasure, such as television and mobile phones.

• “Have you found it difficult to restrain your desires for food, drink, or other pleasures?”

• “Have you used food, alcohol, entertainment, or consumption to escape from anxiety, loneliness, or emptiness?”

• “Have you allowed pleasure to become more important than fasting, prayer, or care for others?”

• “Have you been ungrateful, fussy, or dissatisfied with what you have received?”

• “Have you often sought immediate gratification instead of practicing patience and self-control?”

We always need help in seeing the difference between a moderate enjoyment of God’s gifts and a desire that begins to rule the person.

2. Fornication – thoughts, desires, and lack of chastity – vitium fornicationis

Here we ask ourselves questions gently, without curiosity about details. The purpose of confession is repentance and healing, not to obtain a detailed account. According to Saint John Cassian, this is also where the greatest degree of mercy is required from the one appointed to give guidance (Coll. II:13).

• “Have you deliberately nourished impure or sexual thoughts and fantasies?”

• “Have you sought out images, films, texts, or material online that has aroused or intensified the passion?”

• “Have you treated other people as objects for your own pleasure rather than as persons created in the image of God?”

• “Have you been faithful and pure in your relationships?”

• “Is there anything in this area that you are carrying within you but find difficult to say?”

The final question can sometimes be the most important. If the person confessing answers yes, the priest can say:

“You do not need to describe anything that is unnecessary. Say in simple words what it concerns, and together we will try to understand what needs to be confessed and how you can move forward.”

3. Avarice or love of money – vitium filargyriae

Saint John Cassian sees the love of money as particularly treacherous, because it does not always arise from a natural need. It can create an insatiable desire to possess, accumulate, control, and secure one’s future.

• “Have money, possessions, or financial security taken too large a place in your heart?”

• “Have you been stingy or unwilling to help someone who needed you?”

• “Have you been envious of other people’s income, possessions, or success?”

• “Have you allowed anxiety about money to cause you to forget to trust in God?”

• “Have you been dishonest in financial matters or accepted something that was not rightfully yours?”

• “Have you become so preoccupied with acquiring more that you have failed to see what you have already received?”

Here we can also ask ourselves about power and control, since money often becomes a means to both.

4. Anger – vitium irae

Saint John Cassian distinguishes between a righteous struggle against sin and anger directed against other people. The questions should therefore help the person confessing distinguish between justified indignation and passionate anger.

• “Have you become angry in a way that harmed others?”

• “Have you spoken harshly, hurtfully, or contemptuously?”

• “Have you shouted, threatened, or tried to frighten someone?”

• “Have you harbored bitterness or refused to forgive?”

• “Have you repeatedly gone over old wrongs in your mind and nourished your anger?”

• “Have you wished for something bad to happen to someone?”

• “Have you been irritable or harsh toward those closest to you?”

The final question is often important, because a person can sometimes be friendly outwardly while taking out their irritation on their family or on those with whom they live.

5. Dejection, sorrow, or sadness – vitium tristitiae

Here we must be careful. Saint John Cassian speaks of a spiritual sorrow that can lead to despondency, bitterness, and despair. But not all sorrow, of course, is sinful. Grief after a loss, illness, or hardship is not in itself a vice. We can ask ourselves:

• “Have you become stuck in bitterness over things that have happened?”

• “Have you often become discouraged when you did not get your own way?”

• “Have disappointments caused you to withdraw from God or from other people?”

• “Have you lost hope in God’s mercy?”

• “Have you thought that your sins are greater than God’s forgiveness?”

• “Have you refused to receive comfort, forgiveness, or help because you have held on to your sorrow?”

Here it is important not to treat mental illness or depression as though it were automatically a sin. The question is rather whether a person has nourished despair, bitterness, or self-absorbed sorrow, or whether, in their weakness, they are trying to hold fast to God.

6. Acedia, restlessness, and indifference – vitium acediae

Acedia is perhaps the vice described by Saint John Cassian that is most recognizable in our own time. It is more than ordinary tiredness. It can be a restlessness that makes a person unwilling to remain in prayer, in work, or in the responsibility that has been given to them.

• “Have you become indifferent toward prayer and the spiritual life?”

• “Have you often postponed prayer without a real reason?”

• “Have you allowed your phone, entertainment, or other things constantly to draw you away from stillness?”

• “Do you get stuck on TikTok or other apps on your phone?”

• “Have you become restless or bored during the divine services?”

• “Have you neglected church or the Holy Mysteries out of convenience or indifference?”

• “Have you avoided things that you know you need to do?”

• “Have you lost heart in the spiritual struggle and thought that it does not matter anyway?”

A good follow-up question can be: “What is it that you most want to escape from when you fill your time with things that distract you?”

That question can sometimes reveal that acedia conceals sorrow, fear, loneliness, or a deeper spiritual struggle.

7. Vainglory – the need to be seen and admired – vitium cenodoxiae

Vainglory can hide even in good deeds. A person may do something good while at the same time seeking praise, admiration, or an image of oneself as particularly pious, knowledgeable, or important.

• “Have you sought praise or admiration?”

• “Have you become disappointed or angry when no one noticed the good you had done?”

• “Have you spoken about your own accomplishments in order to appear important or capable?”

• “Have you wanted to be regarded as particularly pious, wise, or spiritual?”

• “Have you compared yourself with others in order to feel better?”

• “Have you done something good primarily in order to receive appreciation?”

• “Have you been more concerned with the judgment of other people than with God’s?”

Here we are helped to understand that vainglory is not merely boasting. It can also manifest itself as a strong fear of what others think.

8. Pride – vitium superbiae

For Saint John Cassian, pride is in many ways the deepest vice, because it makes a person independent of God and unwilling to receive help, correction, or forgiveness.

• “Have you thought that you know best and found it difficult to receive advice?”

• “Have you despised or looked down on others?”

• “Have you judged others more harshly than yourself?”

• “Have you found it difficult to admit that you were wrong?”

• “Have you refused to ask for forgiveness?”

• “Have you been unwilling to receive correction?”

• “Have you thought that you do not need God, the Church, or the help of other people?”

• “Have you relied on your own righteousness and compared yourself with those whom you consider worse than yourself?”

Perhaps the most revealing question is:

“Is there something you know you ought to confess but do not want to say because it damages the image you have of yourself?”

If it is too difficult to go through the eight principal vices, here is a shorter version:

Before God:

Have I neglected prayer, the divine services, fasting, or my trust in God? Have I become indifferent or lost hope?

Within myself:

What thoughts and desires have I deliberately nourished? Have anger, bitterness, envy, vainglory, or pride been allowed to grow?

Toward others:

Have I hurt anyone through words or actions? Have I judged, despised, lied, been harsh, or refused to forgive?

In my responsibilities:

Have I neglected something I should have done? Have I been dishonest, selfish, lazy, or irresponsible?

In my body and my desires:

Have I lacked moderation? Have I treated others or myself in a way that was not consistent with chastity and love?

In my relationship with God:

What is it that is separating me from God right now? What do I most want to hide? What do I need to repent of?

The important thing is that an examination of conscience does not become a questionnaire in which we merely answer yes or no. It should help us move from the general to the concrete:

“I have been angry”

can become:

“I have harbored bitterness toward my brother and refused to speak to him.”

“I have been prideful”

can become:

“I did not accept criticism, but defended myself and spoke disparagingly about the person who corrected me.”

“I have been spiritually lazy”

can become:

“For several weeks, I have deliberately avoided prayer and filled my time with things that distract me.”

For those who would like further advice on how we can remove obstacles in our spiritual life, the book The Pure Heart is highly recommended!

 

Original Swedish source:

https://www.ortodoxakyrkan.se/post/biktspegel-den-helige-johannes-cassianus