After concluding his series of catecheses on the vices, Pope Francis began a new one dedicated to the virtues. In this first reflection, he pointed out the role virtues play in people's lives, saying they predispose them to do good. He also stressed that virtues are the fruit of effort, and they are not improvised. The Pope highlighted they are “the fruit of an exercise and training that entails effort and sacrifice.”
SUMMARY OF THE POPE'S CATECHESIS IN ENGLISH:
Dear brothers and sisters,
In our catechesis on the virtues and the vices, we now consider the nature of virtue, which the Catechism defines as “a habitual and firm disposition to do the good.” Created in the image and likeness of God, we were made for goodness, yet in our fallen world the pursuit of virtue and detachment from vice require discipline and perseverance. Growth in virtue is in fact the noblest expression of our human freedom, but must necessarily be sustained by God’s prior gift of grace. For this reason, the Scriptures counsel us to pray for the Holy Spirit’s gift of wisdom, in order to know the Lord’s will and to let it shape our every decision as we strive to conform our lives ever more fully to his gracious and loving plan for our human family.
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially the groups from the Netherlands and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that this Lenten season will be a time of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!
JRB
TR: KG
