Virtues are the secret to transforming your life

Could the secret to the life transformation you seek lie in the depths of ancient Catholic teaching?

None of us is really satisfied with who we have become. We all know we can be better than we are. But how?

The secret to transforming our life lies in the depths of ancient Catholic teachings. In something called virtues . The Cardinal Virtues. The Theological Virtues. The moral and intellectual virtues. The natural and supernatural virtues.

The desire for life transformation rang out strong and loud in the client needs survey. When I asked you what you need to be happy and to grow in your faith, you responded with things like

• I need to follow God's will rather than allowing myself to be ruled by my feelings.
• To live more simply and mindfully
• Develop the virtue of temperance
• Working on being humble in all that I do and giving everything I do back to God, as I am nothing with out him.
• Trying to make my Faith deep strong, inflexible and unwavering so if need be to die for it.
• Patience, forgiveness, less materialistic needs.
• Patience
• More patience with the spiritual changes taking place around me.
• Be more embracing of others

We don’t hear much about virtue today, not even in Catholic learning circles. We hear a lot about “Catholic values” instead. A value is simply something that you deem important. It’s a priority. Values are good and fine. They help us to stay true to ourselves, to live lives of integrity. But what they cannot do is raise us above ourselves and inspire us to reach for more. That’s the power of virtues.

A virtue is a good moral habit. It is the tendency to embrace what is truly and objectively good for us, what fulfills our potential and purpose. The source of goodness in a virtue lies outside of ourselves - beyond us. Therefore, they represent a good that we can aspire to.

Natural Virtues

The idea of a virtue predates what would properly be called Catholic thought. You can find references to virtue in ancient Jewish and Greek texts, for example. That’s because they originate in the natural moral law. In other words, they indicate how we can become more human and fulfill our human potential. The virtues that meet this description are the natural virtues. When we feel that we are weak in our personal character, we are sensing that we are lacking these natural virtues, which can also be called character virtues. Among the natural virtues, there are intellectual virtues that help us to grow in our ability to know truth and moral virtues that help us to embrace what is truly good.

Supernatural Virtues

When we examine our relationship with God, we may likewise feel that we are not quite where we would like to be. The supernatural virtues draw us beyond ourselves into the divine life of God. While the natural virtues make our life more fulfilling, the supernatural virtues can make our life glorious. In the realm of supernatural virtue, the intellectual virtues equip us to grow in intimacy with God (to know him more deeply) and the moral virtues empower us to love him more.

There are hundreds, and probably even thousands of natural and supernatural virtues. Where does one begin on the road to self improvement? Fortunately for us, our ancient Catholic teaching tells us exactly where to begin. There are seven that are key to them all.

Cardinal Virtues

The Cardinal Virtues are the four key moral virtues. The word “cardinal” means “hinge.” All other natural virtues hinge on these four powerhouses: prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice. So, if we can strengthen these four we pave the way to mastering the other natural virtues as well.

Theological Virtues

The three theological virtues give us a direct relationship with god. They make knowing and loving God possible. Therefore faith, hope and charity are the source of all supernatural virtues. Once you fully understand the glories of living the divine life, that statement will send shivers down your spine. Strengthening faith, hope and charity pens the door for us to a world of beauty and goodness beyond our imagination.

But How Do We Get There?

The Surprising Secret to Growing in Virtue

It won’t surprise you, I’m sure, to hear that growing in virtue is a matter of hard work and discipline. But you’ve heard the saying, “Work smarter not harder,” right? Well, that principle can be applied to growing in virtue as well! No, there are no shortcuts to developing our character. But there’s a way to make the work seem a lot easier - a way that certainly seems like a shortcut.

So again I invite you to join me on the journey! And this will be a journey for me too. Frankly, I stink at growing in virtue. I am surrounded by friends who have more self-discipline and self-control than I’ll ever have. However, I have had some increasing success. The surprising secret to developing virtue is to do it through practical practices. So, to grow in temperance (the virtue of balancing our desires for physical pleasures), I went on a diet, started counting calories, and dedicated myself to 30 minutes of exercise a day. These practical, measurable activities have really paid off! I slowly find my self control growing. Of course, as I write this it’s just past the Christmas and New Year’s festivities after I’ve gotten back into the habit of eating cookies and candy every day. But besides that, I’m doing really well!

Join me in the adventure!