The Sin of Greed

I’m writing this on Ash Wednesday, and I am struck by the ash on our foreheads—a powerful symbol, a call to repentance for the sins we are reflecting on. The seven deadly sins, so carefully compiled by our spiritual forefathers in the 6th century, show us the many faces of sin’s power in our lives. These sins are like parasites, corrupting all that is good and lovely, reducing us to our basic, instinctual slavery. They are the mold that silently spreads in a house, threatening to destroy all that is healthy within.

Pride. Envy. Sloth. Greed. Lust. Wrath. Gluttony. These are the manifestations of a force that entangles us in ways we often fail to see.

Hebrews 12:1 speaks of this sin that so easily entangles us:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”

And maybe, like me, it is greed.

Hi, my name is Camille, and I am greedy. I desire more than I need, driven by fear of not having enough. I am embarrassed by how this desire consumes me, yet here I stand, confessing it.

What if we treated our services like AA meetings? How freeing it would be to admit that, despite the masks we wear, we are all marked by the ash of our entangling sin. But in that acknowledgment, perhaps we would find healing. And in that healing, the hope to live differently.

See you Sunday , Camille