Spiritual vices in a beginner according to St. John of the Cross, found in the book Dark Night of the Soul.
Signs of Spiritual Pride from Chapter 2: + Fervor in spiritual works, but done with impure intentions (for self-satisfaction and self-glorification, with a motive of reputation or fame)
+ Desire to dominate and instruct others.
+ Desire to be recognized for their great spirituality.
+ Desire to receive praise for virtues and religious practices.
+ A need to portray oneself as holy and knowledgeable.
+ Does not want others to appear more holy or more successful than oneself.
Signs of Spiritual Greed from Chapter 3:
+ Discontent with the spirituality God gives them and unhappy because they are not given the spiritual things they desire.
+ Seeking to hear and read more about spiritual things but not actually practicing necessary virtues. Collecting much knowledge without putting it into practice.
+ Attachment to spiritual objects; desire to multiply objects for the sake of novelty and interest rather than to please God.
+ Much spiritual seeking with impure intentions and motives; inconsistent in devotions by always changing them; seeking own preference and pleasure rather than God’s.
Signs of Spiritual Lust from Chapter 4: + Derives great satisfaction and pleasure in spiritual exercises, which develops into an inordinate love and attachment to those feelings of pleasure.
+ Avoids prayer if it is not enjoyable.
+ Spiritual life and prayer is based on gratifications of sensory pleasure and not on love of God.
Signs of Spiritual Anger from Chapter 5:
+ When spiritual consolations end, they become embittered, moody, annoyed, and frustrated because they aren’t finding delight & pleasure in their spiritual exercises. They are easily irritated; “sometimes none can tolerate them.”
+ Indiscreet zeal: angry at others’ sins & reprove them in a way contrary to spiritual meekness. “Keeping watch on others with uneasy zeal.”
+ Becoming angry at oneself for having imperfections. This impatience is not humility. It is prideful as they desire to accomplish great things and are annoyed that they are not perfect. They take on too much and then are frustrated when they can’t do it all.
+ Impatience in waiting on God for His timing. “They have not the patience to wait for that which God will give them when it pleases Him.”
Signs of Spiritual Gluttony from Chapter 6:
+ Lured by delight and satisfaction in their religious practices.
+ Seeking a type of pleasure and not genuinely seeking God.
+ Striving for spiritual savor (taste/experience) rather than spiritual purity.
+ Motivated to do penances not by reason and obedience but by an appetite for pleasure found in it.
+ Makes up own penances and goes to extremes in them; avoids and disobeys authorities regarding penances; changes penances that they don’t like.
+ Desire to do only what they feel inclined to do.
+ If no sensible feeling or satisfaction is felt, they think they have accomplished nothing. When they have not found pleasure, they become greatly discouraged.
+ When they have failed to find pleasure in a spiritual exercise, they are disinclined to return to it, and even abandon it.
+ Prompted to act not by reason but by pleasure.
+ Always in search for some gratification, seeking spiritual pleasure and consolation.
+ Because they seek only sweetness, they avoid the Cross which is devoid of sweetness.
Signs of Spiritual Envy from Chapter 7: + Feeling annoyed and unhappy about the spiritual goods, knowledge, and virtues of others.
+ Unhappiness about another’s progress in the spiritual life.
+Annoyance because they themselves are not praised (they long for preference in everything)
+ When others are praised, they try to deprecate them as much as they can.
Signs of Spiritual Sloth from Chapter 7: + They are averse to challenges in the spiritual life and avoid anything which is contrary to pleasure. They withdraw from prayer or anything hard if they do not receive satisfaction in it.
+ They want to bend God’s will to their will. They do not surrender to God but want God to submit to them.
+ They flee from everything hard and are weak in fortitude; not willing to do what is hard or unpleasant.
“God leads into the dark night those whom He desires to purify from all these imperfections so that He may bring them farther onward.”
- Dark Night of the Soul
by St. John of the Cross
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