Q. 306.  Is drunkenness always a mortal sin?  A. Deliberate drunkenness is always a mortal sin if the person be completely deprived of the use of reason by it, but drunkenness that is not intended or desired may be excused from mortal sin.

Q. 307.  What are the chief effects of habitual drunkenness?  A. Habitual drunkenness injures the body, weakens the mind, leads its victim into many vices and exposes him to the danger of dying in a state of mortal sin.

Q. 308.  What three sins seem to cause most evil in the world?  A. Drunkenness, dishonesty and impurity seem to cause most evil in the world, and they are therefore to be carefully avoided at all times.

Q. 309.  What is envy?  A. Envy is a feeling of sorrow at another’s good fortune and joy at the evil which befalls him; as if we ourselves were injured by the good and benefited by the evil that comes to him.

Q. 310.  What effect has envy on the soul?  A. Envy begets in the soul a want of charity for our neighbor and produces a spirit of detraction, back-biting and slander.

Q. 311.  What is sloth?  A. Sloth is a laziness of the mind and body, through which we neglect our duties on account of the labor they require.

Q. 312.  What effect has sloth upon the soul?  A. Sloth begets in the soul a spirit of indifference in our spiritual duties and a disgust for prayer.

Q. 313.  Why are the seven sources of sin called capital sins?  A. The seven sources of sin are called capital sins because they rule over our other sins and are the causes of them.

Q. 314.  What do we mean by our predominant sin or ruling passion?  A. By our predominant sin, or ruling passion, we mean the sin into which we fall most frequently and which we find it hardest to resist.

Q. 315.  How can we best overcome our sins?  A. We can best overcome our sins by guarding against our predominant or ruling sin.

Q. 316.  Should we give up trying to be good when we seem not to succeed in overcoming our faults?  A. We should not give up trying to be good when we seem not to succeed in overcoming our faults, because our efforts to be good will keep us from becoming worse than we are.

Q. 317.  What virtues are opposed to the seven capital sins?  A. Humility is opposed to pride; generosity to covetousness; chastity to lust; meekness to anger; temperance to gluttony; brotherly love to envy, and diligence to sloth.

LESSON SEVENTH.  ON THE INCARNATION AND REDEMPTION.

Q. 318.  What does “incarnation” mean, and what does “redemption” mean?  A.  “Incarnation” means the act of clothing with flesh.  Thus Our Lord clothed His divinity with a human body.  “Redemption” means to buy back again.

Q. 319. {60} Did God abandon man after he fell into sin?  A. God did not abandon man after he fell into sin, but promised him a Redeemer, who was to satisfy for man’s sin and reopen to him the gates of heaven.