Virtue must be practiced to grow

    A couple weeks ago, I gathered with some friends at the Abita Brewery to hang out and enjoy a few beers … and talk some theology. For four weeks during the summer, young adults can fellowship and hear speakers explore important faith-based issues through “Theology on Tap.”
    On June 28, the founder of Adore Ministries, Paul George, spoke about “Putting on the Armor of Virtue.”
    As young adults, most of us want to live virtuously. Virtue allows us to live in authentic freedom and happiness, things we all greatly desire. Yet, there are some identifiable obstacles on the road to virtue, and it is important to acknowledge them so that we can properly combat them. In our day and age, there seem to be two prevalent hindrances.
    The first of these is our culture’s attack on truth. According to a statistic given by George, 90 percent of young people do not believe in the fullness of the word “truth.”
 “They do not believe that truth exists in all of its forms,” George said.
    Yet, our church is founded on the fullness of truth. When trying to live a virtuous life, some things we shouldn’t have to think about too much. For instance, I need to go to Mass on Sundays. I should not live with my significant other outside of marriage. I am to respect human life in all forms – from conception to natural death. We do not need to discern these things too heavily in prayer because they are built on the truth of Jesus Christ, handed down to us by the teaching authority of the church.
    A second barrier we are likely to encounter is what George calls “optionitis – one of the greatest diseases of our culture.” Basically, this means we are faced with too many options. A friend asks us, “What are you doing tonight?” We reply, “I don’t know. I’m waiting around to see what the best option is. If nothing else happens, I’ll go with these people … but if he calls me, I’m definitely going with him.”
    Sounds at all familiar?
    At any moment, we can make a decision and immediately change our minds based on a “better” decision. With so many options at our fingertips, how are we supposed to determine what God wants us to do? That is the important question because that is where virtue is formed.
    Virtue goes beyond simply being a “good person.” It goes beyond doing “the right thing.” Virtue requires an intimate consultation with God about the choices we are making in our lives. We must be clear that being a good person and a godly person are two very different things.
    Acting virtuously is not always easy. In fact, it is often very difficult. However, there are things we can do as young Catholics to cultivate virtue in our lives, realizing that virtue must be practiced to grow.
    The first is to build our lives on the truth of Christ that is the fullness of faith. If we are not building virtue on the solid ground of truth, what we build is sure to crumble. As Scripture tells us, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1).
    Secondly, we should distinguish what is truly essential. Boil things down to the basics of living life the way God wants. Acknowledge the things you are going to place in your life no matter what and make decisions based on them. If we can do this, virtue will have already made the right decision for us before we even have the opportunity to throw ourselves into a sticky situation.
    Lastly, we should seek guidance from those older and wiser than us. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a sign of weakness to ask people for help when we need it. Especially when it comes to virtue, seeking guidance is a sign of spiritual strength because it displays a readiness to grow.
    Pope Benedict XVI reminds us, “The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”
    Living virtuously is about accepting the greatness we have been called to by the God who knows us best, even when it feels uncomfortable at first. Far too many of us wonder why we end up so unhappy when the fact of the matter is that we have consciously chosen to keep God out of the equation.  
    There are many things to question and consider when it comes to virtue, but mostly we need to be concerned about our relationship with God. Virtue makes us like God, and we cannot achieve it without him. Our decisions should flow naturally from our relationship with him. Virtue does not just happen. We have to be intentional about it. If we want to be virtuous, we need to talk to God like he is going to answer. Our expectation is that he will.
    Rachel Varisco can be reached at [email protected].