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VIRTUES
Virtues are the many gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit by means of sanctifying grace. This special gift of grace given to us freely by God, allows us to become children of God, sharers in his divine nature, and opens the door to eternal life.
The Divine Virtues are--Faith, Hope, and Love.
FAITH: Faith is a gift that we can achieve ourselves by means of daily prayer and daily meditation. With faith, we know that God will not let us down that he is always there for us. We accept all that comes our way as His will and we submit to and accept whatever He has prepared for us--the good and the bad.
HOPE: Without faith we cannot have hope. When we lose hope we lose faith. Hope is what motivates us to continue to live a life that is pleasing to God. Our hope should be eternity in Heaven with God.
LOVE: "And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13)
"Love is patient, is kind; love does not envy, is not pretentious, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, is not self-seeking, is not provoked; thinks no evil, does not rejoice over wickedness, but rejoices with the truth; bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…" (1 Cor 13:4-7)
The Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.
Corporal Works (Mt. 25:34-36)
(1) feeding the hungry;
(2) giving drink to the thirsty;
(3) sheltering the homeless;
(4) clothing the naked;
(5) visiting the sick;
(6) visiting the imprisoned
(7) burying the dead.
Spiritual Works
(1) admonishing the sinner
(2) instructing the ignorant
(3) counseling the doubtful
(4) comforting the sorrowful
(5) bearing wrongs patiently
(6) forgiving all injuries
(7) praying for the living and the dead.Little Virtues (from the Saint Meinrad Prayer Book - Abbey Press):
- Courtesy--Don't be afraid to be polite.
- Cheerfulness--Circumstances do not determine my frame of mind--I do. Look for the beauty of life.
- Order--Live today only; organize this day.
- Loyalty--The test of one's sense of obligation.
- Use of time--Time can be productive, abused or desecrated.
- Punctuality--Self-discipline, order, consideration for others.
- Sincerity--The mark of self-respect and genuineness. It carries conviction, generates enthusiasm and is contagious.
- Caution in speech--Watch my tongue. I can be vicious or thoughtless, and the damage may be irreparable.
- Kindness--One of life's great satisfactions. I haven't known real happiness until I have given of myself. Practice it daily.
- Patience--The antidote to resentment, self-pity and impulsiveness.
- Tolerance--Requires common courtesy, courage, and an attitude of "live and let live."
- Integrity--The ultimate qualifications of a person: honest, loyal and sincere.
- Balance--Don't take myself too seriously, I get a better perspective on life if I can laugh at myself.
- Gratitude--In its simplest form, gratitude is honest recognition of help received. I use it in my prayers, my personal journey and with my family relationships.
