The Life of Virtue

Somewhere just beyond the middle (section 17, to be exact) of Misericordiae Vultus , the Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis recommends that it is appropriate to meditate on the pages of Sacred Scripture during Lent in order to "help us rediscover the merciful face of the Father."  It seems very appropriate to dive deeply into God's mercy during this season of mercy.  This is the first article in a series of reflections on God's mercy as revealed on the Sacred Page, specifically in the lectionary readings during Lent. The first days of Lent, before the first Sunday, provide clear signposts to the three-fold path by which disciples of the Lord can receive God's mercy, and by which they can be a part of extending His mercy to others.  Look no further than the Gospel passage selected for Ash Wednesday.  During His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches His listeners how to take up fasting, prayer, and almsgiving (the three pillars of tradition...

In my most recent post, I mentioned that my life includes any number of things that continue to cause anxiety for me on a regular basis.  In the ensuing two weeks, my Lord has seen fit to provide wonderful and freeing perspective, particularly through a spiritual direction session and through the Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales.  Therefore, this post is something of a rebuttal to that part of the previous post by way of this new and fresh (at least for me) perspective. The modern world in which we live celebrates wealth without any inhibition.  The idea is that everyone has an inalienable right to accumulate dollars and possessions without limit or end.  Efforts to eradicate economic poverty are, at base, attempts to bring more people into this ever-increasing cycle of production and profit.  The world scoffs at poverty, and the prevailing culture proposes a glamorous solution, but one that is, ultimately, bereft of real value. Throug...

As I've been reading, teaching, and praying over the past few days, a basic theme of God's revelation has come into my consciousness again and again.  This significant part of God's plan for humanity has always been true, it has never been negated, and I can recite it as a truth in the same way that I might recite multiplication tables.  I am quite sure, however, that God has brought this reality into my line of sight more frequently recently because He knows that I have yet to perfect it as He intends for me.  The simple truth is that love of God is inseparable from love of neighbor.  Neither of these is attained fully without the other. It is always true that love of God leads directly to love of neighbor; it leads in no other direction.  Two passages of Sacred Scripture have reiterated this to me in recent days.  The first of these is from the book of Deuteronomy.  As the Israelites wander in the desert, nearing the end of their forty-year communa...

The ensuing post has been inspired by the first half of Pope Francis's Lenten Message , which focuses on Christ's poverty.  I know: the first two days of these Lenten reflections are dealing with the virtues that are no fun...no fun at all.  Yet, if our goal during Lent is to be more like Christ, we must come to understand what it means to fast and become poor like Him. Poverty is the virtue by which  material possessions and selfish pride are cleared away so that Christ can enter any situation, and so that we can be brought to salvation by His grace.  The Holy Father remarks that "there is only one real kind of poverty: not living as children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ."  Our Heavenly Father never fails to meet any of our needs, including material needs, if we are willing to relinquish control to Him.  Further, without attachment to created goods and our own egos, human beings are much freer to enter into deep and meaningful relationships,...