The Life of Virtue

The scriptures tell us that the Lord is "rich in mercy" (Eph. 2:4).  This is quite true, simply because of who God is.  Still, it is possible to thwart God from extending as much mercy as He desires.  That is why Lent makes and excellent opportunity to begin, or to redouble, efforts to turn and transform.  Without a doubt, God will lavish His mercy upon us for forty days and beyond if we try to turn our hearts, minds, and voices toward Him. The Mass readings for the Third Week of Lent make this point abundantly clear.  From the moment of the Collect for Sunday Mass , anyone who listens or reads learns quickly that we must assume a posture of lowliness and humility in order for the Lord to lift us up.  Yet, because of our sinfulness, we continually refuse to assume such attitudes, and thus we cut ourselves off from mercy. There are several readings throughout the week in which we glimpse poor examples of hearts, minds, and voices turned toward the Lord. ...

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.  This celebration commemorates the day when the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was dedicated in the Temple at Jerusalem according to the Law of Moses.  On the fortieth day after birth, each first-born Jewish male was presented for service to the Lord.  It makes sense that Jesus was presented and consecrated in this way since He was both the first-born of Mary and the Eternal Son of God.  This moment  enables the Temple to become Jesus' natural and comfortable habitat, and it  marks the first step in allowing the Him to increase "in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). Rembrandt, Simeon's Song of Praise (1631) Although we are not still bound by the Law of Moses, it is good and right for Christian parents to follow the same process for our children and our families.  If parents desire that the place of worship, the Church, becomes a natural and...

We all are aware that Thanksgiving, the great American holiday, happens tomorrow.  It seems, though, that the cultural awareness of the source of this celebration has been lost in recent years.  The first celebrants of this ritual gathered at table during shortly after the harvest season because of the gratitude in their hearts.  They were grateful for God's grace that allowed them to survive their first harsh winter in the New World; and for the assistance of their fellow man (native American Indians, specifically) in cultivating the crops and produce.  These were reasons for gratitude, indeed. Jennie Brownscombe, The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth (1914) Over the last three-plus centuries, the ritual has changed slightly.  There probably wasn't a grand exhibition of sport (like football) before, during, and immediately after the big meal.  It is very likely that folks didn't pack up for brief cross-country trips but, rather, they remained within ...

Merriam-Webster defines "renaissance man" as one who has interest and expertise in many areas.  The Urban Dictionary mentions that a person described by this term is "talented in all spheres of human endeavor."  A general (and incomplete) litany of such spheres would include language, philosophy, religion, science, sport, art, and, perhaps, food.  The person who attains noteworthy accomplishment in most or all of these realms, and who could pass on knowledge and wisdom to others, is considered to have attained the ideal. The historical figure who seems to have attained this ideal most notably (at least in the modern age) is Leonardo da Vinci.  Da Vinci receives credit as a painter, a botanist, an urban planner, a man of high intellect, and a designer of flying machines.  If all of this is attributable to him in fact, then it is right to place him in the limited company of true renaissance men.  Of course, there are also fictional expressions of this id...

Several great spiritual masters (including St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis de Sales) direct disciples of Jesus to begin their daily prayer exercises with adoration of God.  This direction is simple enough to obey and implement after a certain amount of practice.  It seems, however, that disciples easily forget to adore the Lord once a set of difficult circumstances arises, or if they simply do not feel like following the instruction on any given day. This has been the case in my life during recent days.  Extended travel, fatigue, and rowdy, ornery children have unsettled the usual routine.  On my own first assessment, adoration seems quite impossible.  So does joy, which is supposed to be a wonderful fruit of a robust spiritual life.  In the eyes of a witness, the demeanor that I carry during such periods very well might seem contradictory to the adoration and joy to which I call others through my work and writing.  That's right, ministers and...

Those of you who read my blog may be aware of the "controversial" news headline about the pope marrying twenty couples this past Sunday, some of whom were "living in sin."  And so, the barrage of distortions and misinformation by the secular media continues.  Because of this headline, I received the following email. I have four children two in college recently, one in high school, and my youngest at [a local Catholic school] .  You'll find as your children grow up, they have some amazing questions/discussions, especially with social media.  I think we did a good job, our college children attend Mass, follow the Pope on twitter, and are great kids.  We are truly blessed.  What I find difficult is when the Pope is in the news purportedly supporting gay marriage, or as in yesterday's headlines marrying couples "living in sin."  I spent a long while trying to look into yesterday's news and found in the United Kingdom's news, that one couple...

This post is a follow-up to last week's post, "Cramming for the 'Final Exam.'"   As I finished that post, I realized that it does little good to exhort Catholic Christians to prepare well for the forthcoming judgment if they are not provided some direction for effective preparation.  The best teachers help their students prepare well for the exams that cover the content of the courses they teach.  While it would be pretentious to count myself among the best teachers of religious and spiritual things, the method works, so I'll employ it. Our world is inundated with media outlets of all types, from television to print to billboards to new digital media such as podcasts and internet video clips, and everything in between.  When it comes to the Catholic Church, and to Catholic beliefs and lifestyle, much of the media paints an errant picture, or at least a very incomplete picture.  Rare is a newspaper article, a popular book, or a segment on any round-the-...

In recent weeks, I have been conversing with young adults who are wrapping up their semester studies.  Despite the various institutions they attend and the various majors they have chosen, one common theme has shone itself through these conversations.  In the weeks leading up to final projects and exams, these students are quite tense and full of stress as they realize that they may not have learned all the necessary material in order to pass the test(s) and course(s).  They begin to wonder if they have procrastinated a bit longer than they should have, which elicits extra anxiety.  One young man even said to me, "I've learned how to re-learn an entire semester's material in a single afternoon so that I can pass the exam."  As I listen to these young people talk, I recall my own studies.  I freely admit that I did plenty of procrastinating and last-minute cramming during my college career.  Therefore, I know that procrastination and last-minute crammin...

The word "religion" is often used in reference to a set of beliefs and worship practices that makes up one part of a broader culture.  At least that's how it's come to be used in the modern world, and it is often used in pejorative sense.  Yet, until the modern age, religion (read "the cult") has been the central and pervading element of culture.  Religion is so integral to culture, not because it is simply a set of beliefs and worship practices that a human being attaches to who she is, but because it is a virtue that allows her to express her full created glory. The virtue of religion is the first virtue related to the cardinal virtue of justice.  Religion is the virtue by which a person is disposed to give to God what is due to His Holy Name.  Thus, the person may remain in right relationship with God.  God is the Creator of humanity and, as such, deserves worship, praise, and happy obedience of lifestyle because of His gift to us.  The good news ...

An envelope arrived in my mailbox, sometime late last year.  Above my name and address, this envelope encouraged me to "Give the World What It Needs Most..."  The return address bore the emblem of my alma mater.  Given that I attended a really big, state-funded university without religious affiliation, I was curious as to the claim about "what the world needs most."  I was virtually certain that my answer and the university's answer would differ greatly. The claim surprised me.  My university wasn't trying to give the world more technology or more business professionals with higher degrees or more access to secularized "arts."  My university wants to provide leaders to the world.  With some slight adjustments of their understanding of leadership and the value that it provides to the world, I just might be able to get behind this project.  If there were dollars in my family budget to give toward cultivating great leaders for the next generation, ...

I often read and hear about the "fast food" culture in which we live, which is akin to the "sound bite" culture by which we consume our information.  While fast food and sound bites may provide some benefits at some intervals, they certainly are no way to maintain healthy bodies and minds.  Instead, human beings require good, fresh food and holistic learning if they are going to grow to their fullest potential. In recent days, I've been thinking about the many ways that a person's dining and learning habits might reflect his or her spiritual habits.  Does a person expect spiritual health with quick and small bites of information and formation?  From all the available evidence, it is clear that many in our culture think and act according to such a paradigm.  People surmise that they can cultivate deep spirituality and win answered prayers by way of distracted worship rituals, quickly-recited rote prayers, and commercial-bookstore "spirituality" t...