Virtues - Specific, Observed Behaviors

Homily for Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Yesterday’s text from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians listed quite a number of attitudes and vices that lead us away from God. Today he flips the coin. Our text for today mentions a number of virtues that we are called upon to practice.

The Gospel text is also about the virtues that disciples of Jesus are to put into practice, virtues like heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. Forgiving one another is perhaps the hardest virtue to practice, but it is absolutely necessary.

I have my own definition for virtues. Many of the people of our own society speak about values. Values are like clouds in the sky, nothing more than condensation. Values may speak to your attitudes, but virtues are what I would call specific, observed behaviors. Though you might think me a little irreverent, I use the first letters of those three words as a mnemonic device to recall that I glorify God when I my behaviors become virtuous.

While St. Paul simply lists these words, Jesus actually gives direction to these virtues. Yes, we are to be forgiving, but we are called to forgive our enemies. We are called to be generous even if it means giving up something that we cherish. Of course, hiding within these verses is the familiar Golden Rule: “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” There is nothing Jewish or Christian about the Golden Rule. A version of it can be found in the writings of almost every religion in the world.

We are fond of reminding ourselves that Jesus is just like us except in sin. Why make it a negative statement. Jesus practices virtues just like us. At every Eucharist, we remember that Jesus’ behavior was always virtuous.