Virtues

"And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." -I Corinthians 13:2

I have found that following Jesus is tricky. If I remember to do one thing, I forget to do another. Lately, I have been trying to find the "essence" of Catholicism. The answer I can have with me at all times when I forget what I am doing or where I am going with my faith.

What am I missing? I had it before I knew anything about being Catholic, but somehow I lost it again. The idea really hit me when a friend of mine gave me an idea for a blog post on what has affected him in his faith. He brought me the quote you see above (and now below).

"Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away." I Corinthians 13:8

Love. It has been a topic I have touched on recently in older posts. Before I had  the knowledge, all I had to go by with faith was love. I have been so caught up and catching up with everyone else in their wisdom  that I forgot the very thing that drove me to becoming Catholic.


Defining love is very hard. It could be called self-sacrifice. It could also be called a feeling of closeness to another person. I think it is so hard to define because love is very much God.  There is no way I can define that. Rather, I find it much easier to figure out what love is not. What is the opposite of love? Hate. What then, spouts hatred?

Seven Cardinal Sins
I don't really want to call them sins because they are not sins. They are faults in the human conscious that inclines us to sin. The worst of these faults is pride. Pride is taking pleasure in one's own glory. Pride is the (supposed) reason that Lucifer was cast out from heaven. Pride is the reason many people stray away from God.

Luckily, there are virtues to counter-act such faults.

Pride-Humility
Humility is the opposite of pride because it is a lack of one's own importance. It is considered the most important virtue out of them all. With this virtue, all the others will follow. Being humble is the form of self-sacrifice that is love. For me, it is realizing just how helpless I am without the glory of God shined down upon me. I have also found that when I do acts out of this virtue, I feel most at peace. However, there have been times where I did the exact same thing without love and I gained nothing from it.

Envy-Love
Envy is hating people for having something we don't such as wealth or good looks. It is an emotion for the insecure. The focus of someone in envy is about themselves. That is why love, which is an act of humility, is it's counter.

Sloth-Zeal
Sloth is becoming lazy. Mainly becoming lazy in what God commands us to do. I think this isn't too much of an issue for myself, but it is definitely a big part in the role of "pseudo-Catholics". Zeal is the emotional response we get for God. It is passion. Jesus shows zeal when he kicks everyone out of the temple because they used it as a place of social gathering instead of for God.

Gluttony-Temperance
Taking more than you need. Over-eating/drinking or taking glory that someone else deserves. It is a "me-first" then you kind of feeling. Temperance is agreeing with yourself that you don't need more than what you have already.

Lust-Self Control
This is an area that I am lacking in. This reminds just how incredibly weak I am.That is why self-control is the virtue I pray for most. Lust of course is a desire for the opposite sex based on physical attraction.

Wrath-Kindness
Wrath is very simply anger. It shows no patience for others and is different from zeal. Zeal is passion with love. Wrath is like a passion without love. The opposite of anger is kindness. Kindness is patient. It is humbling yourself to the needs of others.

Greed-Generosity
This deals more with wealth so it is different from gluttony. Jesus says it is much easier for a camel to go through the head of a needle than it is for a rich man to get to heaven. I secretly believe Jesus was a comedian part time. Anyhow, this one is pretty straight forward. In order to reach heaven we will have to leave our earthly possessions behind. That is why Jesus tells the child to give away all his things if he wants to live a life of grace.

Applying Virtues

Like sinning, having virtues is not something you get just be saying "I am going to love from now on". How then, will I be able to live a life the way Christ intended? How can I have faith with love? Where is it in my life where I need to practice humility?

Realizing that virtue is a practice, Christianity is more than churches and bibles; I need to learn how to love people the way Christ loves people. I need to love Christ the way he loves me.