Posts Tagged ‘virtue’
Charity: the Core of Catholic Spirituality
Catholic spirituality, including our prayer life, is founded on charity. The goal of our spirituality is to help us grow in a personal relationship with God. At its heart, that means to live in charity. Let’s discuss what charity is, how it is formed in us, and how we can engage the power of charity…
Read MoreGrowing in the Theological Virtues: to Love as Jesus Loves (Charity)
The theological virtues empower us to have a relationship with God. But they do this by building on human nature with the supernatural gifts of grace. So far we have explored human aspects of love. Eros, storge, and philios are human forms of love. Grace strengthens these types of love. But this last form of…
Read MoreCatholic Prayer: The Virtue of Prudence and the Habit of Prayer
Catholic spirituality and prayer often begins with the virtue of prudence. We need to deal with our own weaknesses & bad habits in order to grow in love for God.
Read MoreSeven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues
The Seven Deadly Sins are not particular sins at all. Rather, they are vices – or patterns of immoral choices. Most of them are the abuse of something that is otherwise good. They are defined by the phrase “inordinate desire,” meaning a desire that is “out of order” with human health, happiness and holiness. The…
Read MoreHow to Pray – True Humility Is the Foundation of Prayer (Do You Have It)?
If you really want to learn how to pray, you always need to start with uniting your heart to God’s. The virtue of humility gives our hearts the right disposition for a relationship of love with God. But too many Catholics misunderstand this important virtue. Most people think of humility as a refusal to acknowledge…
Read MoreWhat Virtues Make a Well-Ordered Life Second Nature?
A habit is a tendency to perform an action readily and easily. Virtues are good habits – habits that resonate with who we are meant to be. Habits are formed by doing something over and over again. This repeated action literally forms a path in our brain that connects a need or desire to the…
Read MoreWhy Are You Too Busy to Pray? (it’s not because you don’t care)
Are you a “stuck” Catholic? Spiritual growth is a pipe dream, right? Or at least a future goal rather than a current focus. You do your Catholic “duty” but you’re not deepening your relationship with God. Why not? Not due to lack of desire! You really want to grow in your faith. If you didn’t…
Read MoreGrowing in the Theological Virtues – Emotion, Desire and Human Love (Charity)
The Theological Virtues are like muscles. We receive them from God. But we have to exercise them to keep them and to strengthen them. Human love doesn’t just happen to us. We need to consciously strengthen it and nurture it. What role do emotions and desires play in human love? Are the theological virtues related…
Read MoreGrowing in the Theological Virtues – Are You Following the Greatest Commandments?
“Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.” Charity is the greatest of the theological virtues. The theological virtues of hope and faith are at the service of the theological virtue of charity. The very purpose ofthe theological virtues of hope – to teach us to trust –…
Read MoreFour Ways to Build Your Inner Sanctuary
First Key to Spiritual Growth: Taking Control of Your Life through the Virtue of Prudence Are You Overwhelmed by the World? When I talk to people about the obstacles they face in growing in their Catholic spirituality, one response that I get quite consistently is the problem of being distracted by the world. The world…
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