The ancient philosopher, Aristotle, recognized the life of virtue as happiness itself. Two hundred years later another philosopher, Cicero, claimed that “virtue is its own reward.” Truly, there are universal human rewards (a clear conscience, contentment, and self-respect) that are greater than honors, praise, or material compensation.
However, the rewards of virtuousness are not easy. A person who lives at a comfortable distance from unpleasantness can easily flatter himself as being virtuous. Authentic virtue is formed differently; trials, intense adversity, and sometimes tragedies are the liberating crucible for a life of virtue. Otherwise, what we mistakenly call virtue is just a cultural concept, with little impact on Christian discipleship. Usually, false-virtue manifests in some form of smug complacency, as told in Jesus’s parable of the self-righteous Pharisee (Luke 18,9 – 14).
Abigail Adams, the wife of the 18th century American president, John Adams, instructed her children to “Do Good and Be Good.” This is the summary of the universal Natural Law that is within all human beings. Later, if growing youngsters are fortunate, they learn more about what this means, in history and in religious tradition. The cardinal virtues from antiquity (also known as the pagan virtues) of fortitude, temperance, prudence, justice are based on a balance of opposites, like the Tao. The cardinal virtues can be owned by anyone, whether Christian or not, who exercises reasonable discipline and self-control. However, the great theological virtues of faith, hope, and love are transcendent gifts; they cannot be achieved by force of human will alone. The theological virtues come to Christian disciples through the Holy Spirit; often they mean something different, as when optimism is mistaken for hope. The first step in “do good; be good” is to desire holy virtue, and, through the repentance of sin and amendment of life, pray God to grant it: “Jesus, Clothe me in your virtue”.
Isaiah (61,10) foretold this gift in his vision of the “garments of salvation” being bestowed on a bride and a bridegroom, that they may be “arrayed … in a robe of righteousness.” St Paul goes further in his letter to the Colossians by instructing Christians to “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light”; he specifies that this means being clothed in “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience”.
We are reminded of the famous account of St Philip Neri and his effort to achieve virtue. Having a a hot temper, he begged Jesus to take away his anger so that he might “Be good and do good”. Inwardly, he felt at peace, but when he left the chapel, that peace was shattered by back-to-back confrontations with two brother monks, who were usually kind and courteous. One after the other, they provoked Philip with rudeness and harsh words. In frustration, Philip ran back to the chapel and cried out, “Lord, didn’t I ask you to free me from this anger?” Jesus replied, “Yes, Philip. And that’s why I’m multiplying the occasions for you to learn.”
Ruth D. Lasseter
SDC Associate
Indiana, USA
