Reconciliation Time

HOW DO you make an examination of conscience? Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition, or judgment that assists us in distinguishing right from wrong. The Catholic Church teaches us to make a thorough examination of conscience before going to confession. We need to take into the confessional a mental or written list of the sins that have come to mind during this examination so that we can make a good confession.

Anthony, who often drew strange analogies in his sermon notes, makes what at first appears to be an odd observation regarding confession. “Again, confession may be called a ‘desert’ in as much as it is full of wild beasts. What these beasts are, with which confession should abound, we shall see. These beasts are mortal sins, which ravage and wound the soul.” (Sermons for Sundays and Festivals, Vol I, Edizioni Messaggero Padova, pp. 80-1).

Anthony is making a strong point here. We need to take all of our mortal sins into confession because these sins “ravage and wound the soul.” These sins make our lives barren and lifeless like a desert. Lest we wonder what these “wild beasts” may be, Anthony refers to a passage from the prophet Isaiah: “Isaiah, speaking of faithless Judah (the sinful soul) says: It shall be the habitation of dragons and the pasture of ostriches. And demons and monsters shall meet, and the hairy ones shall cry out to one another: There hath the lamia lain down and found rest for herself. There hath the ericius had its hole and brought up its young ones, and have dug around and about and cherish them in the shadow thereof.” [Is 34,13-15] (Sermons I, p. 81)

What are these mysterious animals? Having been versed in the biology and zoology of his day, as well as in Scripture, Anthony recognized these creatures. But for those of us who are not as well versed as he is, here is a list of them.

 

Semi-mythical creatures

 

Dragons were legendary creatures, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits. While dragons are considered mythological, there may be some truth to them. The word dragon comes from the Latin draconem (nominative draco) which means ‘huge serpent, dragon’ and from the Greek word drakon (genitive drakontos) which means ‘serpent, giant seafish.’ The term dragon referred to any great serpent, not necessarily mythological, so it is quite possible that the dragons mentioned by the prophet Isaiah were huge, desert dwelling snakes. While most desert dwelling snakes would not be more than five or six feet in length, the King Cobra can reach up to fifteen feet and weigh up to thirty pounds. A mythical dragon would not be much more terrifying than this highly venomous reptile.

Ostriches are huge, flightless birds with long, powerful legs, a thin, snakelike neck, and a small head. Ostriches are popularly known for their feathers which make excellent dusters.

Anthony’s interpretation of demons and monsters that ‘meet’ is “a hybrid of ass and ox” (Sermons I, p. 81). We know that no such hybrid is scientifically possible. What could Anthony have had in mind? Possibly a type of oryx or another type of desert antelope whose slender legs and grayish color could suggest an ass while the head resembles that of a cow. Depending on the species, the tail can be like that of a horse or a cow.

The hairy ones are likely sand cats, a small feline species weighing up to 7 pounds with hair up to 2 inches long. This cat most generally mews much like a domesticated cat, but it also emits a loud, high pitched barking sound, especially when seeking a mate.

In mythology, Lamia was a mistress of the god Zeus. One version of the myth says that Zeus’ jealous wife Hera killed all of Lamia’s children and transformed her into a monster that hunts and devours the children of others. Another version has Hera steal away all of Lamia’s children, whereupon Lamia goes mad with grief and despair. Crazed, she begins stealing and devouring the children of others out of envy, an evil which turns her into a monster.

An ericius is a spiny hedgehog, a small mammal which can roll into a ball when threatened. Most species dig dens for shelter. Isaiah mentions this in his description of this fist sized creature.

For Anthony, these beasts represent “the seven kinds of sin, which should all and individually be fully disclosed in confession” (Sermons I, p. 81). Confession (we would say the confessional) therefore becomes for Anthony “the habitation of dragons” and the other beasts mentioned because the penitent brings these beasts forth in the confessing of sin.

We might think that Anthony would link the seven beasts with the seven deadly sins of lust, avarice, greed, pride, envy, sloth, and anger. He has some overlap with these, but also some uniquely different sins. He lists the beasts and their corresponding mortal (deadly) sins (Sermons I, p. 81). The author of this article has followed each sin with an examination of conscience.

 

Seven beasts

 

“The ‘dragon’ is the poisonous malice of hatred and detraction.” Who do I hate or even dislike? When have I spoken ill of someone?

“The ‘ostrich’ is the deceitfulness of hypocrisy.” Do I try to appear one way in public when actually I am doing or living the opposite?

“The ‘ass’ is lust.” What do I look at, listen to, read that incites lustful feelings? Do I succumb to these?

“The ‘ox’ is pride.” What is my response when criticized? Even though I will not admit it to others, do I think that I am better than they are? Do I believe that my ideas are generally correct?

“The ‘hairy beast’ is avarice and usury.” If I were graded in alms giving, would I get an A? What is my attitude about lending someone anything? If I have a business, do I price my merchandise fairly? Do I pay my employees a decent wage? Do I honestly declare my income for my tax return?

“The ‘lamia’ is heresy and lack of faith.” Do I believe everything the Church teaches? Do I pick and choose what to believe? Do I dabble in non-Christian practices or beliefs? Do I speak up for Jesus?

“The ‘ericius’ (hedgehog) is the crafty excusing of the sinner.” Do I make excuses for my sins? Do I say that I cannot help it or God does not care? Do I neglect to think about my sins so that they do not trouble me?

 

Inner temptation

 

When we read these sins, we immediately see that temptation is not necessarily around us; it is within us. All of these sins come from within the heart, as Jesus said, “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles… Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’ (Matthew 15: 11, 17-20).

 

Field of grace  

 

Anthony says that these seven sins do not pretend to cover every sin possible. They stand “for all sins universally” (Sermons I, p. 85) because seven was considered to be a perfect and full number. In preparing for confession, it might help to take a blank sheet of paper, which is as barren as a desert, and to list each sin on it as soon as we have committed it. The next time we go to confession, take the paper along. Then, once our sins are washed away with the life-giving water of God’s forgiveness, the desert of the confessional will become a spiritual field of grace.