“Sin speaks to the wicked man in his heart; there is no dread of God before his eyes, for he beguiles himself with the thoughts that his guilt will not be found out or hated.” Psalm 36:2-3
Sin
separates us from God, whether it be mortal or venial. Many baptized Catholics
only partake of the Sacrament of Reconciliation when they believe they have a
mortal sin which denies entrance into heaven. What they lose out on by doing
this is a reminder of what it means to live a holy life and the strength needed
to fight against compromising our faith as God has asked us to do by loving Him
and all who He has created.
It is no surprise to me that I am a sinner in thought, word and deed. As I age, it is more by accident that I cause harm rather than by doing something intentionally or by omission. What is important is that I eliminate the urge to do something which benefits me, hurts others and separates me from God.
What I learned over the years, starting with my time at the minor seminary of Quigley in Chicago as a high school first-year student, is that God gives all of us many gifts to thwart our active sin nature. We need to focus on those and use them to gain positive results rather than dig a deeper hole of despair.
Since that time, I have selected seven virtues which not only help me avoid the near occasion of sin, but positively reinforce my relationship with God as I seek salvation. They are Courage, Strength, Wisdom, Understanding, Peace, Joy and Grace. They all work in tandem with and build upon each other to produce positive steps to living a holy life.
Over the past five years, I shared how each of these virtues work and how I have used them to both avoid sinning and to improve my journey with God. In brief, this is how they have worked:
Courage
– “Take Courage and be stouthearted, all you who hope in the Lord.” (Ps.
31:25)
When life
seems to take us to our lowest place and we cannot see a way to overcome our
doom or to escape our dilemma, we need Courage (boldness, confidence and the
opposite of fear) to lift our spirits to reverse whatever robs us of hope or to
face our last period of possible release. Courage for me reminds me that if I am saying
yes to the ways of the Lord, I do whatever is necessary no matter what the
outcome because the finale is everlasting salvation.
Strength
– “Draw your Strength from the Lord and His mighty power.”
(Eph. 6:10)
Perseverance
to continue anything needs Strength to overcome either what prevents us from
reaching our goals or to ensure we can maintain the highest aspect of meeting
our end results in all areas of being holy. The concept of Strength in the
bible goes beyond physical power or ability. It encompasses spiritual fortitude
and reliance on God as it relates to faith and trust in God’s power and
provision.
Wisdom – “Wisdom from above is …innocent… peaceable, lenient, docile, rich in sympathy…impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17)
The
virtue of Wisdom is the hardest one for me to witness and accept. Wisdom relates
totally to God in its creation and its accomplishments. Intelligence, however,
is not the proper way to identify it and because of that, I sometimes lose
sight of what it is asking. Here is where we need to accept what God offers and
quit questioning whether it is right for us or not.
Understanding – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not.” (Prov. 3:5)
Again, we
often use intelligence as how to measure God’s meaning about such areas as
truth and life as it relates to our time on earth and how it affects our future.
God looks at His creation as something positive. If we take it from that
position, we can eliminate doubt and quit wondering if it is going to help or
hinder us. It encompasses a deep, personal connection and intimate familiarity
with God’s truth. By exploring the nuances of the word “know” in scripture, we
can gain profound insights into our relationship with God and how it shapes our
lives. The ability to see deep truths and grasp concepts that others may miss.
Peace
– “I tell you all this that in Me you may find Peace. You will suffer in the
world. But take courage! I have overcome the world. (Jn. 16:33)
More
things get accomplished during times of peace as opposed to war. In peacetime we
work for the betterment of all creation. We are willing to step out of our
comfort zones to help those in need. And, if we truly practice peace, it
becomes second nature to us supplanting times such things like prejudice or
harm to one another. The concept of biblical Peace is a reminder of God’s
desire for us to live in harmony with Him and one another. It is an invitation
to surrender our worries, fears and anxieties to Him and rest in His loving
embrace.
Joy – “Rejoice
in hope, be patient under trial, persevere in prayer.” (Rom. 12:12)
True
happiness is only found in heaven with God. But we can celebrate Joy in what we
do by basing our everyday efforts on how we can feel when we do things that
enforce all that is good. Joy is choosing to respond to external circumstances
with inner contentment and satisfaction.
Grace
– “May Grace be yours and peace in abundance through your knowledge
of God
and of Jesus our Lord.”
(2 Peter 1:2)
True
relationship with God brings the Grace with which God created us and wants us
to always have. Grace references such areas as forgiveness, mercy, favor,
kindness and friendship to name a few. Whatever Grace means to you, hopefully
it will bring you closer to the ways of the Lord in all you do.
Though I have selected these seven virtues to help me in my search for being one with God in all I do in faith, hope and love and thought, word and deed, I hope you find signs, talents, gifts and/or virtues in your journey with the Lord to everlasting life.
There is one other thing I will add and that is to find a favorite Bible verse which helps define why you are a Christian. Mine is from John 15:16:
“It was not you who chose Me, it was I who chose you to go forth and bear fruit. Your fruit must endure, so that all you ask the Father in My name He will give you.”
NOTE: All biblical verses
are from The New
American Bible.
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