Our Christian teaching supplements the four cardinal virtues with the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity (or love). These theological virtues elevate and perfect our habits, thus directing us toward the supernatural happiness that can only be achieved by our union with God. Theological virtues are infused in our souls through God’s gift of sanctifying grace.
The cardinal virtues are the four moral virtues thought by ancient philosophers to form all other virtues acquired by human effort and repetition. The concept of these virtues–consisting of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance–traces back to Plato. Saint Ambrose later assigned the designation “cardinal,” stemming from the Latin root “cardo” or hinge, to emphasize that on these four qualities hinge the moral life.
In the spiritual battle of good versus evil, virtue is our armor to guard against the temptation of vice. Virtues are rooted in the healthy habits that allow us to readily discern and freely seek that which is good. While virtuous habits promote our disposition of love, habits of vice demonstrate our failure to love.
The seven deadly sins are fundamental vices that threaten spiritual death by engendering our actual sins. This month, we will explore these red flags as unhealthy habits that separate us from God.
The season of Advent gives us an opportunity to prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Christ at the end of time, on the anniversary of his birth, and every day in between. “The Lord is coming, always coming,” notes the Reverend Henri Nouwen. “When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.”
Just as we are limiting our potential if we neglect to rely on God, we are also limiting our potential if we neglect to cooperate with Him. “God helps those who help themselves,” and the best way we can help ourselves is by placing God first and following His commandments.
We are greatly limiting our potential if we believe we can lead our happiest, most joyful lives without the benefit of God. If we want to be our best selves, we need to become the people God created us to be.
Christian joy is a deep, abiding state of the soul that comes from living in communion with God. It provides the serene and steadfast assurance that every instance is a celebration of the beauty of life and the unfailing love of the Lord. Joy lifts the veil of circumstance to reveal the eternal and unchanging promise of God’s presence, illuminating the sacred influence in our daily lives. It comforts us along our darkest paths and turns our challenges into blessed journeys.
Saint Augustine poses the question: “Is not the happy life the thing that all desire, and is there anyone who does not desire it at all?” We are all created with a universal longing for happiness. But what exactly does it mean to be happy?
Pastoral care of the sick is not exclusively the responsibility of designated clergy, but rather an invitation that Christ presents to all of his disciples. Pope Francis reminds us that “The ministry of consolation is a task for every baptized person, mindful of the word of Jesus: ‘I was sick and you visited me’ (Matthew 25:36).”
Reciting the Rosary is like presenting an exquisite crown of roses to Our Lady. She lovingly responds by showering us with a multitude of supernatural gifts. Pope Blessed Pius IX notes that “Among all the devotions approved by the Church none has been so favored by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary.”
“The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description.”
~Venerable Fulton Sheen
