The Virtues of Advent

one

The goal of Advent is to be prepared to welcome our Savior, Jesus. That is the goal of our whole life. So how do we prepare to meet Jesus at the end of our life? By living a virtuous life, that is, a life ever more like His. The Beatitudes show us the virtues Jesus lived. Therefore, we should prepare to welcome Jesus at Christmas and at our death by learning to live the Beatitudes.

How happy are the poor in spirit – those who are humble.

Joseph Pieper said: Humility is man's estimation of himself according to truth and that's almost all there is to it.

Humility is to live according to the truth of our relation to God.

Jesus said to St. Catherine of Siena, “Catherine, remember one thing; I am He who is, and you are she who is not.”

If pride is to think too highly of oneself or too lowly of oneself, then humility is to think accurately of yourself.

A.  In comparison to God we are nothing; we did not create ourselves and we cannot save ourselves from death - we have limitations; therefore, we stand in need God and others.

B.  If in comparison to God we are nothing; then in relation to God we are something immeasurably great – we are sons and daughters of God who share in His divine nature. In relation to God, being made in His image and sharing in His life I am a beloved and precious child. I am worthwhile, I have gifts, talents, and strengths that are needed for the good of the world and others.

a.  These two together comprise humility

Gratitude is the bridge to move us from pride to humility.

Each day reflect on these questions: For what am I grateful; and to whom I am grateful? The blessings I have received are the concrete manifestations of God’s love for me. How I have I corresponded to His love? 

two

Happy the Meek

Meekness is not weakness. The virtue of meekness is the power that harnesses and directs anger to good.

Anger is the good as the energy and power to achieve something difficult; change what is bad or evil or endure without becoming evil myself. Anger is bad when it controls us, when it overwhelms our reason and leaves a wake of destruction.  

Meekness harness the power of anger for good. Meekness comes from two ideas:

1.  Not easily provoked

2.  Harness the energy of something power but uncontrolled.

To meek a river was a phrase used to describe redirecting a powerful river by neither letting it run wild or damning it up so that it eventually floods over.

Meekness is the calm strength that harnesses the good power of Anger and directs it for good

1.   To Attack – change the situation

2.   To Endure in patience and cheerfulness

3.   To Fight sadness and despair

Happy those who Mourn: We must journey toward our ultimate destiny by our free choice and preferential love. There is a sort of holy sadness when we realize no good thing in this world can ultimately satisfy me. Only God can satisfy our desire for infinite, perfect and everlasting happiness. This Holy Sadness, this mourning enables us to love God more than any finite thing here. The beatitude of mourning helps us be attached to God and not overly attached to the things of this world. The wonderful thing is, if I put my loves in the right order – if I love the lesser things less and the greater things more, then then I get all good things back in the next life. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added as well.”

three

Happy those who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness. We all have the desire within us for infinite truth, beauty, and goodness because we were made to possess God. Faced with this desire, we have three options: we could become a stoic who represses all desire and just follows the rules; or we could become an addict who tries to fill his infinite desire with the finite pleasure that can never satisfy but only enslave; or we will become an aspiring mystic; one who longs for God. When Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” he meant you will be happy, you will have your desire for the infinite satisfied, if you hunger and thirst for God. If you long for God, He will fill you in proportion to your longing. Jesus said to Angela of Folingo, “If you Make yourself a capacity, I will make myself a torrent.”

Happy the Merciful

Justice is to give others what is rightfully theirs. Mercy gives to others what is rightfully ours. Mercy is the love that goes past strict justice and gives a generous gift of self. 

Jesus taught us to be merciful when He said:

Treat others as you would like them to treat you…love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return.

You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Be merciful as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.

four

Happy the Pure of Heart

We cannot control the thoughts, emotions and temptations that just pop up. We can control our response. We can control our thoughts and actions. To be Pure of Heart is to control our  thoughts and actions and direct them to good – to love. Here is simple strategy:

·       When a wrong thought or feeling arises, stop it or check it, like a hockey player checking an opponent.  

·       Then Command or choose the right thought or emotion and do the right action

·       Check and Command

Happy the Peacemakers

Peace is not the absence of conflict. Some conflict is healthy.  Peace is the fruit of order. If you want Peace, then begin by putting your life in order. A Rule or Recipe of Life is a helpful strategy to maintain peace

C.S. Lewis: “put first things first and we get the second things thrown in; put second things first and we lose both first and second things.”

There are specific ingredients necessary for happiness and to become fully alive. Therefore, this recipe needs

·       The right ingredients

·       In their right order

·       And right proportion

The ingredients to be happy and fully alive…

·       Physical needs – sleep, food, water, shelter, coffee

·       Friendship with God, through Sacraments and Prayer

·       Relationships with family and friends

·       Achievement through meaningful work inside the home and out. Meaningful work is not limited to a job. Work is any way we do good for the world and for others. Recall the corporal and spiritual WORKS of mercy. How about spending time with someone who is alone.

·       Knowledge,

·       Beauty,

When you have the right ingredients In their right order and proportion the result is PEACE

five

Happy those who are suffer

How could suffering make us happy?

1.     Suffering can be good for us because it can empty us of our pride, our self-reliance and our disordered loves, making room so we can be filled by God. And suffering can increase our Faith, Hope and Love which enables us to receive even more of God.

2.     Our Suffering can help others

Col. 1:24 I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake. And in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church.

What could be lacking in the suffering of Jesus? Our participation!

Jesus is inviting us to help him save souls by our prayer and sacrifice. All we need to do is accept and offer up

What you

·       Did not choose

·       Do not like

·       Cannot change

• Don’t waste your suffering. Accept with Trust and Offer it up with love for Jesus and souls.