Virtues aren’t just for super holy people who may wind up as saints – they’re an achievable, if not always easy, goal for all of us.
We all have bad habits, from putting things off to getting sucked into Netflix for hours at a time. But how can we combat them? In “Catholic Central: Virtues,” Kai and Libby take you through the Cardinal and Theological Virtues that can help you combat bad habits and live a happier, more fulfilled life.
Diving Deeper
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The four Cardinal Virtues are listed in Wisdom 8:7 -- “[Wisdom] teaches temperance and prudence, justice and fortitude, and nothing in life is more useful than these.” Why do you think the Bible describes these virtues as “useful”? Why do you think secular psychologists believe practicing the cardinal and theological virtues can increase happiness?
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How can a lack of virtue cause someone to treat people or things in the wrong ways?
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Even incredibly holy people have had struggles with faith. In Luke 17:5, the apostles asked Jesus, “Increase our faith.” James 2:17 says, “Faith without works is dead.” How can practicing hope and love help to nourish our faith?
Activity
By yourself or with a small group, read 1 Corinthians 13. Reflect on the last verse of this chapter: “So faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Why do you think St. Paul called love the greatest of the three theological virtues?
Reflection by Father Vince Kuna, C.S.C.
Watch the “Catholic Central” episode on the “Seven Deadly Sins” and be reminded that for every deadly sin, there is an opposing virtue. Pick one sin from the list that you struggle with most and learn of its opposite virtue. For example, abstinence checks gluttony. Think of how the penitential seasons, Advent and more so Lent, work towards excising sin and growing in virtue. And don’t wait until the liturgical seasons to increase virtue. Liturgical seasons exist to highlight what we should be doing every day of our moral lives.
