Friends-good afternoon. I was reading a wonderful reflection this morning from Francis Fernandez in his book, In Conversation With God, which I would like to share with you. Below are sections of the reflection on virtues and spiritual growth which spoke to me. This is important and relevant for all of us and will require some thought and prayer after you read it. Please feel free to share if you wish.
Thanks and God bless-
Randy
22.1 Virtues and Spiritual Growth (By Francis Fernandez)
Psalm 15:11, “Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fullness of joy.”
“Jesus uses different images to teach us that the path that leads to Life, to holiness, consists in the full development of the spiritual life. He speaks of the tiny mustard seed which grows into a great tree; in its branches the birds of the air come to rest. He speaks of the grain of wheat which reaches maturity and produces rich ears of corn… That growth, not without its difficulties and sometimes seeming so slow, is in fact the increase of virtue. If we are to sanctify each day, we have to practice many human and supernatural virtues: faith, hope, charity, justice, fortitude – industriousness, loyalty, optimism…
The virtues demand the repetition of acts in order to grow, because each act disposes the soul to perform the next one more easily. For example, if a person lives the “heroic minute” when he wakes up, thus overcoming his laziness from the very first moment of the day, he will find it easier to be diligent in going about his other duties whether they be large or small. In the same way, the sportsman improves his physical fitness by training, and acquires a greater aptitude for repeating his exercises. Virtues make a man perfect, and at the same time they make it easier for him to perform good works and to respond at every moment to God’s will in a prompt and fitting manner. Without virtues (those good habits acquired through the repetition of good acts, with the help of grace), it is difficult to perform any meritorious actions, and in any case such actions will be no more than random or isolated incidents. Without virtues it is easier to fall into imperfections and sins that widen the gap which separate us from God.
…it is so important that we blot out the remains of the sins of our past life through penance. We must not allow them to incline us towards evil ever again. The more serious the falls and the longer a person has been separated from God, the more intense the penance should be, because the residual mark left by such sins will be so much the more difficult to erase.
22.2 Human virtues and supernatural virtues. Practicing them in everyday life.
Holiness consists in the exercise of the virtues, one day after another, in the environment and in the circumstances in which we live. The human virtues provide the foundation for the supernatural ones. These in turn provide us with constant encouragement to behave in a more truly human way. In either case, it is not sufficient merely to ‘want’ to have these virtues. We have to learn how ‘to practice’ them. ‘Discite benefacere’ (Isaiah 1:17), learn to do good. We need to make a habit of exercising each virtue, by actually being sincere, truthful, balanced, calm and patient… for love is proved by deeds, and we cannot love God in words along, but ‘with deeds and in truth’ (1 John 3).
The work of sanctification belongs entirely to God in his infinite goodness. Nevertheless, He willed that correspondence on the part of human beings is necessary, and has consequently placed in our nature the capacity for disposing ourselves towards receiving the supernatural action of grace. Through cultivating human virtues – resilience, loyalty, truthfulness, affection, courtesy – we prepare our soul in the best possible way for the action of the Holy Spirit. Thus it is easy to understand that it is not possible to believe in the sanctity of those who fail to live even the most elementary human virtues.
Christian virtues are what we must put into practice in our everyday lives, and in the circumstances, whether these be easy, troublesome, or very difficult. Today, as yesterday, heroism is expected of the Christian – a heroism in great struggles, if the need arises. Normally, however, it will be the heroism in the little skirmishes of each day.
22.3 God always gives us the grace to live the Christian faith in all its fullness.
God doesn’t ask anything impossible. He expects all Christians to live the Christian virtues in their entirety, even if they find themselves in environments that seem to be moving farther and farther away from God. He will give the graces necessary for being faithful in such difficult situations. Furthermore, the good example He expects of all of us will often be the means of making Christ’s doctrine attractive to others, and of evangelizing the world once again.
Many Christians, as they lose their supernatural outlook, and hence the real influence of grace on their lives, seem to think that the ideal proposed by Christ needs to be modified and adapted if ordinary people of our day and age are able to live with it. They do not know how to stand their ground when confronted with moral dilemmas at work, or when discussions arise on the morality of marriage. They allow themselves to be influenced by the atmosphere of permissiveness and sensuality surrounding them. They give in to a more or less generalized pursuit of comfortable well-being, etc, just like everyone else. We must teach people with our own lives (we will have our faults but will be trying to overcome them), that the Christian virtues can be lived in the midst of all honest undertakings, and that being understanding towards the defects and errors of others is not the same as lowering our own standards and sitting loose to the demands of the Gospels. “
