The 7 Virtues for the Postmodern World - Charity!

This is part 7 and final post of my series on the 7 virtues. Click here for part 6, and here for part 1.

It has been a looong 5 months. For one, I started attending graduate school for my theological degree. This has been an exciting, joyful and tiring experience. Secondly, my wife and I started a new ministry as house managers for a transitional house for recently arrived refugees.

Ministry has been an overwhelming experience in these past couples of months. We are housing two families, plus our foster daughter, in one flat. The 12 of us can barely fit in our spaces. As an introvert, I feel incredibly stretched out.

My current ministry experience has left me thinking a lot on the virtue of Charity. Let me explain why.

There is a member of our household that I'm finding a hard time to love. This member is a toddler whose default setting seems to be set on "cry." I know all toddlers are infamous for their tantrums but I am convinced we are dealing with a peculiar case here.

After many months of crying, tantrums, breaking havoc and little to no efforts to curb the child's behavior I am left with a sense of anger towards the child. This anger can at times feel like is edging towards hate. This realization, of course, leaves me greatly troubled. Am I really giving into hate?

There is a struggle that stirs constantly inside of me as I fight against any notions of hate. I want to love this child, not hate the child I tell myself. I'm starting to realize, however, that it is possible to love in the midst of feelings of anger, and yes, even feelings of hate.

The Virtue of Charity
What is the virtue of Charity? It is helpful to first describe what it is not. 

Charity is not just benevolent giving. Our common definition of charity can be limited to the act of giving to a non-profit institution. The fact that many of these institutions are called "charities" only adds validity to this limiting definition.

Charity, or Caritas in latin, can better be described as agape love, that is, a love that is not depended on or even connected to feelings, a love that seeks the best for others and is even willing to sacrifice oneself for the sake of the other.  Charity is not a matter of elusive and at times uncontrollable feelings. Charity is a matter of will.

We are surrounded by situations that can trigger in us a cocktail of emotions. Sometimes these emotions are too difficult to control. It is hard not to feel frustrated when we are late and stuck in a traffic jam, for example. If something as important and fundamental as love is dependent on feelings then we have little reasons to be hopeful for the future of the human race.

Jesus' command to love our enemies would be ludicrous under these circumstances.

Charity & The Holy Spirit
Charity is connected with the fruits of the Holy Spirit of Joy and, of course, Love that are found in Galatians 5.

Joy springs from the knowledge and experience of loving and being loved. For many of us, our most joyful experiences have been one of loving and being loved by God and by others. In fact, I remember distinctly how my early days of my conversion were filled with unspeakable joy.

As we have seen throughout this series on the 7 virtues, the fruits of the Holy Spirit can be considered in a hierarchical order, with Joy and Love being at the top of the ladder. For these reasons, Joy and Love are closely connected.

The Virtue of Charity for the Postmodern World
We can practice Charity by redeeming the word from the ethos of "benevolent giving." This ethos is not only reductionist but also cheapens Charity to a mere marketing term. Charity, or the giving to charities, is now something that one can buy with a donation.

Real Charity, however, is costly, and not merely in a monetary sense. Real Charity demands that all of our senses and beings (body, spirit, soul) are involved. Real Charity demands that we give ourselves to a cause, a group of people or an individual.

Real Charity demands more than our money (along with the tax returns benefits). Real Charity demands our whole selves. Real Charity is the most dangerous endeavor we can ever undertake.

Our world needs more committed people who are willing to give themselves up to something other than themselves. Our world needs us to move from inspiration to sacrifice. It needs not our catchphrases, our likes, and shares on social media. Our world needs our painful dedication.

Move beyond the realm of intellectual assent and verbal affirmations. Move instead into the realm of God, where to die is to live and to give is to gain.

Spend yourself in a ministry, a social justice cause, or the Other, and do so with agape love. Give until it hurts, for Charity demands that we get ourselves into uncomfortable positions that will shatter our comfort zones.

Practice the wild, unrestrained and risky virtue of Charity, the greatest of all virtues, for in its practice you will find life by dying to yourself.

The 7 Virtues for the Postmodern World - Chastity!

This is part 6 of my series on the 7 virtues. Click here for part 5.

Chastity has been relegated to a bad word. It evokes images of a repressive and sexually frustrated fundamentalist who confuses Jesus for a Pharisee.

Unfortunately, as many things in our society, chastity has been heavily sexualized. Sure, we can practice chastity with our sexuality, but this is only a minor piece of what this virtue is about.

As we shall explore, chastity, when viewed holistically, becomes a beautiful and essential virtue.

The Virtue of Chastity
The virtue of chastity can be divided in three ways.

First, chastity is purity. Sexual purity is still an important aspect of the virtue of chastity, and while it should not be defined solely on sexual terms, we still can't ignore this important aspect. Sexual purity demands discretion of our sexual conduct according to our state of life. This looks different for all of us.

As a married man, for example, my sexual conduct should be different from that of a single man. It is no longer OK for me to seek the attention of another woman in a romantic way. We can see, then, that sexual chastity is for all of us, not just for the celibate.

One also practices purity from avoiding or limiting substances that are toxic to our bodies, and by maintaining cleanliness and basic hygiene.

Purity can also be achieved morally, by resisting temptation and corruption.

There are other, non-sexual ways to seek purity of course, as we shall see next.

Second, chastity is knowledge. Ignorance is dangerous. As it is obvious to many of us, ignorance creates countless suffering in our world. Knowledge, when undertaken with other virtues, but most importantly, with chastity, can be a way to create purity of thought. 

Knowledge without chastity, however, (without any sort of discretion or humility) will create snobbery, another type of ignorance. Snobbery is a delusion of the mind.

Third, chastity is honesty. The practice of chastity demands that we are honest with ourselves and others. By keeping our relationships pure, that is, without any hidden motives, we are creating honest relationships. The practice of honesty, then, it's inseparable from chastity.

Chastity is a mature form of the virtue of Temperance, because Temperance merely intents the controlling and the putting of boundaries. Chastity seeks much more than restrain. Chastity actively seeks the good and respect of others as well.

Chastity & The Holy Spirit
Chastity is connected to Love, the supreme fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians 5.

As Pope Benedict XVI said, the opposite of Love is not hate, but lust. Love, by its nature, seeks to give to the other. Love is the consistent attitude and action that seeks what is best for the other.

Lust, on the other hand, seeks to take away from the other. Lust diminishes individuals to the mere realm of utilities. Lust seeks to fulfill itself. Love seeks to fulfill the other.

This is why Chastity and Love must be connected. Chastity and Love are the perfect antidotes for the merciless greed of lust.

We are fooling ourselves if we think we can practice Love without practicing Chastity.

The Virtue of Chastity for a Postmodern World
We live in an oversexualized society. We live in a world where deep knowledge and reflection is reduced to bite-sized, googleable answers and catchphrases. We live in a world of hidden motives and shameless advertisements that makes us suspicious of each other.

We can practice Chastity by taking notice in all the ways we overly sexualize others and ourselves. Our sexuality is something to be relished and celebrated. But when our sexuality is used to take away from others and ourselves, when it seeks to only satisfy a desire at the the expense of the other, then we have reached the limits of Chastity and descended into the realm of lust.

We can also practice Chastity by avoiding quick answers and devoting time to deep knowledge and reflection.

It is easy to pretend we know stuff, what with all the easy answers available at the tip of our fingers and with a click of a mouse. It is common now to like and share articles on social media without even reading them and reflecting on them.

This creates the illusion of knowledge, without the toils and hard work of true knowledge. It reduces knowledge to information. It reduces thought to entertainment.

Deep thought and reflection requires time and meticulous work. It requires exploring the issue from multiple angles. Purity of thought is not something we establish by superficial gathering of bits of information and one minute videos.

Finally, we can practice Chastity by being straightforward about our intents and motives. No one can claim purity of motives, and that's OK. But the worst we can do is to pretend purity of motives, and hide ourselves under a cloud of piety.

Let's be honest about our imperfections and our biases, as this will create clearer expectations and create the base for purer motives.

The 7 Virtues for the Postmodern World - Patience!

This is part 5 of my series on the Seven Heavenly Virtues for the Postmodern World. Click here for part 4.

One weekday morning, I was trying to read on a bus on my way to work. Public transportation can be ideal for this, but at other times, it can be inconvenient.

The bus was almost empty, so I was expecting a quiet time before work. This had lasted for a few minutes, when two students boarded the bus. One of them, a guy, was pursuing this girl who seemed uninterested in his advances.

She sat behind me (of all the empty seats!) but sat in the outer seat so not to give space for the guy to seat beside her. He, not dissuaded by her subtle dissing, sat next me so he could be in front of her.

He turns around and tries to have a conversation with her. In doing so he was shifting constantly, and for some odd reason, beating the seat rhythmically as he spoke. Our seat was shaking, and by his constant movement he kept constantly bumping into me.

I was incredibly annoyed.

I have two options, I thought, I could tell him to stop moving and bumping into me and ask him to stop beating our seat OR I could practice patience and ask God to offer me the strength to do so. I have read this advice from many saints: you can take every difficult or inconvenient situation as an opportunity to practice virtues.

And so I prayed: God, please help me to practice patience. It seemed to me, unfortunately, that God heard my prayer.

They guy kept making beats through our seat and he kept shifting constantly. I was unable to read.

Thankfully, he got off the bus a few stops after that. Two other guys, however, got on the bus at the same stop. I thought they were fighting, as one of them was screaming. He didn't seem angry, however.

I soon realized he wasn't screaming, he just spoke incredibly loud, apparently gifted by God with an integrated mic and speakers. They decided to sit behind me. I started laughing. Be careful what you pray for, I thought. Throughout the whole ride, the lively gentleman kept having peaceful shouting matches with his bewildered companion.

I was, of course, unable to read my book.

The Virtue of Patience
The virtue of patience, or longsuffering, is the ability to go through seemingly unbearable or difficult situations with a sense of harmony and peace. It is also active waiting. There may be many reasons we would be asked to wait, and by doing so with peace and harmony we are practicing patience.

Patience is also showing mercy to people we think don't deserve mercy. Mercy and patience are two sides of the same coin.

I am an incredibly impatient individual. If my computer is not working, for example, I feel very tempted to throw it out of the window, go out with a hammer, and slam it into bits and pieces. I still have my computer so it doesn't happen that often.

I hate ordering things online because I hate waiting for them to arrive. I hate not having a microwave (for health reasons) because I'd prefer to have my food heated up in a few minutes instead of waiting 20 minutes to heat in the oven.

Because of this, God has put me in many situations where He has asked me to wait. He also provides me with many opportunities, like the ones mentioned above, to help me practice the virtue of patience. When I practice listening prayer, it seems to me half the time He's asking me to wait.

Patience & The Holy Spirit
Patience is also the sixth fruit of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5. It is only after practicing patience that we can better practice peace, joy, and ultimately, love.

Without patience we lack the solid foundation to practice peace in the middle of shifting circumstances, joy in the middle of suffering and difficulties, and love with mercy and compassion.

Patience is also connected with Peace, the seventh fruit of the Holy Spirit. Peace is not simply a lack of conflict. Peace is not lack, but an abundance of something. Peace comes from a rooted knowledge of our standing with God, and therefore, the world around us.

It is only with Peace that comes from God that we can withstand with longsuffering difficult situations with harmony, because our peace dwells from a deeper sense of our being with God, and not our being with  our circumstances around us.

The Virtue of Patience for a Postmodern World
The virtue of patience, in a world where we are accustomed to our computers and internet service being fast, our food heated in a few minutes, and where instant gratification (and instant connectedness) is a sought-after feature, is a challenging virtue to practice.

First, we can practice patience by utilizing most inconvenient, uncomfortable, or difficult situations as opportunities to grow and develop. This has to be a free choice, however. I am not advocating that you feel compelled to allow people to cross your boundaries or abuse you under the name of practicing virtues.

There are circumstances, however, when it is OK to use the opportunity to practice patience by practicing mercy and momentarily giving up your right to complain. (If you are in an abusive situation, however, this is not recommended, and assertive action would be necessary and healthy.)

There are many other times, however, where there is nothing that can be done in a situation to improve it, and the practice of patience is perfect for those situations. Being stuck in traffic comes to mind as a prime example.

By making a mental shift and seeing those difficult and annoying situations as opportunity to practice patience instead of simple inconveniences, your growth will be monumental. The obstacle becomes the way.

Second, if you are involved in a cause that is dear to your heart, you can practice patience not only with the people who are actively against said cause, but also at the slow progress that some movements have.

By practicing patience, you realize that your struggle will be for the long haul, and will probably outlive you. Healthy, non-violent social change requires a cultural shift in our population, and this will undoubtedly take many years, even decades, to fully realize.

There are no easy and quick tips to social change. There are small, incremental steps that keep adding up through the years. Violence can bring fast and temporal social change, but this will inevitably breed more social disparities, divisions, and wounds.

By practicing patience, we are acknowledging that our efforts, however small, will slowly bring the social change we so desire.

In what ways do you practice patience? How can more patience help you in your life? Share in the comments below!

The 7 Virtues for The Postmodern World - Kindness!

This is part 4 of the 7 heavenly virtues series. To start on part 1, click here.

Western culture often struck me as a "straight up" culture. Things were sometimes told directly, with no beating around the bush, so to speak.

This was presented as a good thing. Many times, however, it felt harsh to me. In encounters where things were spoken to me "straight up," I often felt hurt. This happened so many times that I began to wonder if there was something wrong with me.

Maybe I'm just too sensitive, I thought.

While it is true that I am sensitive person, and that being direct with people is also a good thing, I do think that  in our culture we have forgotten the virtue of kindness and juxtaposed it with truth-telling.

The Virtue of Kindness
What is kindness?  Let us first define by what it is not. Kindness is not just being "nice" to each other. Kindness has little to do with being nice.

Nice is easy and even cowardly. Kindness is courageous and self-giving. Kindness exposes your being in an unselfish manner. Nice hides your being and real feelings and protects it with a mask.

Kindness is benevolence towards the other; it is loyalty, compassion, empathy, and trust.

Kindness is especially essential when it comes to truth-telling. Truth-telling without kindness can be misused to hurt the other. When we get angry at someone, and we feel compelled to make it clear to them, truth can take the form of a weapon used in vengeance against the offender.

Truth-telling combined with being "nice" compromises the truth. We may think that being nice is a way to protect others from hurt, but most often we are protecting ourselves from uncomfortable situations. If we dare to speak truth into somebody's life, we compromise the truth in order to make it less hurtful to us.

Truth-telling with kindness, however, seeks the well-being of the other. It takes into consideration the context. If we discern that the truth will not be heard then in kindness we abstain from telling it. With kindness we seek ways to tell the truth that are selfless and filled with compassion.

Truth is better received when it is sweetened by compassion and mercy.

Kindness & The Holy Spirit
The virtue of kindness is connected with goodness and kindness, the fourth and fifth fruits of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5.

Goodness, as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, is good that is integral to our very being. It is concerned more with kindness than it is with righteousness. It is good in a self-giving way, not in a self-righteous way.

Kindness as a fruit of the Holy Spirit denotes more than just moral goodness and integrity, or just being kind. The word chrestotes, which we usually translate as kindness, can also be translated as 'usefulness.'

A person full of the virtue of kindness is also extremely useful. They go beyond kind words into the realm of actions for the good of others. Kindness demands selfless service of others. A useful person is also humble, willing to be pliable to the will of God and pliable in service of others.

The Virtue of Kindness for a Postmodern World
We live in a world where prophetic truth-telling is needed. We live in a world where we need to constantly speak truth to power.

In doing so, however, we must not forget the value of kindness, for it is with this virtue that the truth is most beneficial.

We can be very tempted, and even feel justified, to speak truth in an angry and hurtful way. It is true that there are moments that truth must be spoken with anger, depending on the context. The problem comes when we say the truth only when we are angry.

More often than not, the virtue of kindness should accompany and aid us whenever we speak truth, especially in situations where hurt and emotions are involved.

By telling truth with kindness we are giving witness to the power of truth as light. Light and truth are powerful enough and need no extra aid to be effective.

As prophetic witnesses against injustice, we should exercise the unaided power of light to shine away the darkness. There is no need to be forceful. Shine light and allow the light to do the rest. Nothing else is necessary.

Be kind to others, especially those opposed to your cause. By being kind you are demonstrating your concern for the other, remembering that the oppressor is no more free than the oppressed. Oppression is a prison that jails both the oppressor and the oppressed.

Practice kindness with all, even those who need some serious truth-telling.

The 7 Virtues for the Postmodern World - Diligence!

This is part 3 of my series on the 7 heavenly virtues. For part I, Temperance, click here. For part 2, Humility, click here.

Oh diligence! If there was ever a virtue that is hardest to work on!

Diligence brings to mind the notion of hard work. We have limited diligence to the realm of work, or that which we get paid to do. We may imagine someone who is diligent as a restless person, one who is so opposite of lazy that it is impossible for them to sit still without having something to do.

When diligence is so interconnected to work, however, we distort the virtue itself.

Diligence is much more than hard work, however, and has applications outside our professional lives, as we shall explore.

What is Diligence?
Diligence, simply speaking, is steadfast application. Someone who is steadfast is someone who is faithful, reliable and committed.

We see then, that diligence is much more than hard work. Diligence also calls us to be unwavering in what we do. You might be able to work hard, but that doesn't make you a diligent person. If you, however, work faithfully, then you are beginning to practice the virtue of diligence.

Diligence & The Holy Spirit
Diligence is connected with faithfulness, the third fruit of the Holy Spirit listed on Galatians 5. Once we have worked on self-control and gentleness, the first two, we have a solid foundation to work on faithfulness, and as a consequence, on diligence.

Diligence and faithfulness are two sides of the same coin. When we do our part, we do so with faith that God will take care of the rest. We know that hard work alone doesn't bring immediate success. When hard work is combined with faithfulness, however, we trust that God is still in control even if our efforts don't end in success.

Like Mother Teresa famously said, God doesn't call us to be successful, but to be faithful.

If hard work is disconnected from faithfulness, hard work will be invariably connected to success. When success doesn't come, we lose the motivation for hard work.

If hard work is connected to faithfulness, however, our efforts will be nourished by the faith and reliance that God will work out even our failures for good. Success doesn't even come to the picture. A focus on success is ultimately reliance on men. A focus on faithfulness is ultimately reliance on God.

It is only with faithfulness that hard work can reach the dignity of the virtue of diligence.

Hard work alone is a counterfeit of diligence. Diligence is therefore, a deeply faithful enterprise.

The Virtue of Diligence for a Postmodern World
How can we practice diligence in our postmodern society?

We start by disconnecting the expectation of hard work from success and reconnecting it with faithfulness. We live in a world of instant gratifications and productivity. We do A and we expect B. If A doesn't produce B (B being success, of course) we then deem the whole enterprise a failure.

This can be true in certain situations, but it makes the value of effort A contingent on result B. In simpler terms, the end justifies the means. This is what is usually called teleological ethics, where the end (teleos) is the focus of any action or work.

Connecting hard work with faithfulness, however, is what transforms this virtue into a deontological ethic, that is, we do A because A is good. Loving our enemies can be an example of a deontological ethic: we love not because it may be effective, or to produce expected results. We simply love because, one, it is our calling, and two, because the "other", the enemy, is still an image bearer.

It is true that loving our enemies has the potential to transform our enemies, and someone may be able to pursue love of enemies teleologically. This, however, doesn't always happen, and we may find ourselves in situations where we love our enemies despite their lack of transformation.

It is also the case that many efforts don't bring the expected immediate results, but they might bring fruits many years down the line. This is where faith comes into the picture: we may not be able to always predict where a good work may lead, but we entrust our efforts to God that can use even our own failures.

The virtue of diligence can also be applied to many social issues: we work on social justice issues even if it is inconvenient and even if it demands sacrifices from us, simply because it is what we are called to do. We find that many social issues, like the welcoming of immigrants, a livable wage, and caring for the environment are issues that not only may have little to no return to us, since these are fights that will probably continue for many generations.

In a world that is inundated with pragmatism, the virtue of diligence can be transforming.

How do you define diligence? In what way do you practice diligence?

The 7 Virtues for the Postmodern World - Humility!

This post took me a little over two weeks to write. My excuse for this was going to be a convenient Spring break. Holy Week was very taxing, and I felt I needed a break from writing.

This is, however, just part of the story.

The other, less convenient part of the story is that I didn't want to write this post. Why not? Reflecting on this, I realized there were two main reasons. The first is that I felt wildly unqualified to write it. I have a small sense of my lack of humility, and that sense tells me there is a lot of unquestioned pride in my being. The second reason is that, sometimes, I don't want to think too much about virtues at all.

Like I wrote in my first post on this topic, virtues seem like some archaic, medieval, and legalistic way of seeing our faith. Of course, I mentally know this is not true, but being inundated in the post-modern culture that I am, it is hard not to feel that way from time to time.

My Lack of Humility
I recently took a class in hermeneutics at a small, local theological school. This school offers classes in Spanish with affordable tuition. This is a great alternative for those of us who can't afford the usual seminary tuition, or who haven't completed the academic requirements to be accepted into one.

Since many of my classmates have not gone to college like I had, there was a sense of superiority that I was, for the most part, unaware of. This gave me an overconfidence in this class, and I felt a special sense of giftedness that I revelled in.

In one of our assignments for the hermeneutics class, we had to present a written sermon, interpreting a passage. I did so, satisfied with my interpretation. I felt so sure and confident on my paper that I expected some good remarks from my professor.

What I got in response was more mixed: great interpretation, but I'm taking away points for not including a thesis statement.

In my great pride, I forgot to include something as basic as a thesis statement!

You can see why I feel unprepared to write this post.

What is Humility?
Humility is truth my spiritual director once told me. That phrase has stuck with me ever since.

Humility, as I understand it, is a truthful consideration of one's own gifts and abilities, along with an accurate understanding of one's flaws and limitations. In this sense, one can see that humility is indeed truth.

Humility is therefore not self-contempt or having low self-esteem. Humility is not shy to recognize one's skills and talents, but it is also not embarrassed to recognize limitations and weaknesses.

This adherence to a true assessment of who we are prevents us from indulging in narcissistic over-confidence that often stems from fear of not being sufficient. Humility is birthed from the knowledge that we are beautifully created out of love, and despite all of our flaws and past mistakes, we are overwhelmingly sufficient.

Humility recognizes that even though we may not be the best at this or that, we are still made for love, and as a consequence, we are inherently lovable.

Humility is also the virtue that gives way to the other virtues. It is the base where the edifice of a virtuous character is built.

Humility & The Holy Spirit
Humility is connected with gentleness, the second gift of the Holy Spirit that is listed in Galatians 5. As I mentioned in my last post, I believe these gifts are listed in a hierarchal order, and that one should start working on those gifts from the bottom up, starting from self-control.

The Greek word praotēs, usually translated as gentleness, can also be translated as meekness. Some Bibles even translate it to humility. The correct practice of temperance and self-control will naturally give birth to humility and gentleness.

When one practices temperance and self-control outwardly, in pharisaic fashion, without focusing on the inner life practice of the virtue, it will lead to harshness and pride, which are the opposite of gentleness and humility.

The Virtue of Humility in a Postmodern World
In this age of narcissism, the practice of humility is sorely needed.

First, make an active effort to recognize how dependant we really are on each other. If you are glad of your current condition in life, ponder on how other people helped you to get where you are, either directly or indirectly.

Our successes are usually a community effort. I'm sure if you think long enough of how you got to where you are, you will find many people to thank and recognize.

Second, whenever you find yourself in a position to volunteer, try to volunteer in the least desirable activity. Putting ourselves in a position we deem as 'unworthy' will help us fight that inner voice that insists on getting the best place in every situation. Practicing self-denial in a service of love toward others is a very effective way of practicing humility.

Third,  find an authentic authority that you are able to respect, and submit to it. In a society of self-made humans, this is probably the most controversial suggestion. To be under someone's authority seems oppressive and antiquated. It can bring to mind authoritarian nightmares.

But notice that I mention two criteria that must be met before submission to authority: one, an authority that is authentic, and not simply arbitrary. Two, an authority that inspires your respect.

If you are able to find an elder, spiritual director, or someone you respect and admire to take you under their wing, a person whom you trust and whom you know loves you, then being under their mentorship should be a great experience. Moreover, having this type of elder should help you grow in all areas, and more relevant to our topic, grow more humble.

This elder will not only help you grow in many virtues, including humility, but also help you in making obedience to God more a delight than a simple duty. This is perhaps the most important step, as I believe that the loss of eldership in the west has brought a lot of denigration to our culture.

What are other things that have helped you grow in humility?

The 7 Virtues for The Post-Modern World - Temperance!

Christ in the Wilderness by Stanley Spencer

Starting with this post, I will start a series on the 7 virtues! Exciting huh?

The seven virtues are hardly spoken of outside the walls of catechism. Perhaps they elicit in us horrid memories of old school nuns beating these virtues onto our bodies with human sized rulers. Perhaps they remind us of medieval, ascetical, and rigid spirituality.

But virtues matter. We shouldn't keep them in "medieval consciousness" boxes stored in our cultural attics. They should be unboxed, discovered, and be given a place in our 21st century homes.

As I will explore in these upcoming posts, these virtues are immensely necessary to our 21st century society. The postmodern world needs them more than ever. I will also offer practical ways to practice them in an urban context.

For today's post we will start with Temperance!

What is Temperance?
Temperance can be described as self-restraint or self control. It is connected with discipline. It evokes images of a moderate person who is not overrun by emotions and passions. Negatively, it can bring up images of a stoic individual who seems dry, joyless and lacking in emotional expressions.

True temperance, however, should bring joy. This negative aspect of the virtue is more connected with someone who practices temperance for temperance's sake, while forgetting the end goal of practicing virtues in general: theosis, or union with God.

Interestingly enough, temperance (and the practice of it) has a wide range of applications. We can practice temperance not only with material goods, but also with our emotions. We practice temperance, for example, when in anger we decide not to engage in violence but instead we practice non-violence and forgiveness.

With this example, we start seeing how temperance is hugely important in our modern world and its struggles towards social justice.

Temperance & The Holy Spirit
Temperance is also connected with the self-control, which is the last  fruit of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:22-23.) I believe this list of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is hierarchical, meaning that each fruit builds on top each other.

The apostle Paul lists self control at the bottom of the list, since it is not only the one we should start practicing with, but also the base where the Holy Spirit can build up the other gifts. It is for this reason that I wanted to start this series of the 7 virtues with Temperance.

The Virtue of Temperance for a Post-Modern World
There are many ways we can practice temperance in our urbanized world.

First, the practice of temperance encourages us to lead a simple life and to fight our senseless materialism that is sucking the precious resources of our earth. A study suggested that, if the rest of the world were to consume like Americans, we would need 4 planet earths!

Temperance, or self-control in materialism will help offset this senseless consumption of resources. It will teach us that we are not more entitled to these goods than people in other developing nations.

Secondly, temperance will help us in our struggle towards environmental justice. We practice self-control by making the sacrifices needed to reduce our carbon footprint. Like I've written in the past, the problem is not just the government, but we also bear a personal responsibility in destroying the environment.

Thirdly, temperance will also give us self-restrain in the things we do buy. We can practice it by paying attention to how our purchases affect the world around us and by showing self-restrain from buying goods that are probably cheaper, but they are built on maquilas or factories that are abusive to its workers, and even have child labor.

Since buying fair-trade goods is probably more expensive, this will require that we consume at a lower rate than we currently do. We will buy less things, but the ones we do will probably be of better quality. Sometimes less is more.

All of this, of course, require discipline. It is easier to go with the flow and simply buy what is convenient. It is easier to not think of what we are consuming instead of showing self-control by restraining our over-consumption.

In what other ways is temperance relevant in our post-modern world?

Arrogance: How our Aversion to Authority Detracts from Humility

I find myself in an interesting position as a Latino immigrant, to observe the differences between American culture and Latino culture. I was born and raised in Managua, Nicaragua. I came to the United States when I was 17 years old. I am now 30.

Latino culture is a high distance power culture, where there is less distribution of power, and economic and social classes are more marked. People in high distance cultures have "a place" where they belong, and different groups of social and economic classes usually don't mix together. In these cultures there is a strong sense of community, and the well being of this community is sought as a priority.

American culture is a low distance power culture, where there is (in theory at least) a more equal distribution of power, and economic and social classes are less marked. People in low distance cultures see themselves as equals, and different groups of social and economic classes can and do mix together. In these cultures there is a strong sense of individualism, and the ideals of the individual and his or her personal freedom is sought as a priority.

At this point in my life, I feel fluent in both cultures, and I can switch between them, though it is not always easy to do so. I see good things in both cultures, and it is not the purpose of this post to argue the validity of one culture over the other.

Aversion to Authority

Another difference between American culture and Latino culture is its relationship with authority. American culture, with its emphasis on individualism, has as a natural consequence an implicit bias against authority.

Authority is frowned upon, and the use of it needs to be constantly justified.

In Latino culture, authority is expected and wanted. We see the need for people with strong leadership skills to be in authority to guide the people with the vision and ideals of the community. If this leader is not using his or her authority to move forward with the community's vision, then the leader runs the risk of being dethroned by a revolution. Revolution is the way that high distance power cultures deal with social change. In low distance power cultures a leader (usually very limited in power by checks and balances) is simply voted out by the people, who are seen as having the power.

The American people, it seems to me, look at persons in position of authority with suspicion and sometimes, disdain.

The Fall & Arrogance

As I ponder the story of the fall in Genesis, I wonder how much the human tendency towards individualism, and our need to decide what's good for ourselves (don't tell me how to live my life!) by eating of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, has made us more arrogant.

If this is the case then a direct link can be made with extreme individualism, The Fall (where we decide what's good and bad for us without the intervention of an authority), and arrogance.

If this is the case, then a move towards humility is a move away from unrestrained individualism. Not only that, but a move towards humility will also mean a more balanced and healthy view of authority.

It is mentioned many times that American culture is one of arrogance and entitlement, and I have heard in many progressive circles this being readily admitted as they work to counteract these societal evils. What seems odd to me, however, is how ready progressive culture is to question authority at every turn, and to deconstruct every notion and ideal just for the sake of deconstruction. Not only that, but progressive culture seems to encourage self-expression and the "whatever works for you" motto of post-modern individualism, without the slightest recognition of how these attitudes can actually contribute to arrogance and entitlements.

I am not trying to ditch progressive culture. In many ways, I consider myself a progressive. And many people who know me can tell you that I support many progressive causes, but I can't just blindly ignore the many aspects of this culture that my particular bi-cultural lenses allow me to see. I cannot ignore, for example, how prevalent an elitist spirit is in many aspects of progressive culture.

Truth be told, when I think of humility, the last thing that comes to mind is someone absorbed in progressive culture. When I think of intellectualism, wittiness, and snobbery, then the quintessential progressive comes to mind.

As I mentioned in my last post, maybe our culture is fighting against our attempts at humility.

Humility in an Age of Narcissism: Considering Others More Significant & Self-Esteem

Photo by Waiting for the Word

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Philippians 2:3 ESV

Is the idea of counting others more significant than ourselves offensive? I think it can be to many of us. There are certain times in my life when I found these words offensive and denigrating. After all, isn't considering ourselves not worse than anyone else part of having a healthy self-esteem?

Is God really asking us to have a poor self-esteem?

The Age of Narcissism
Many psychologists believe that narcissism is on the rise. In an age where Self is king, and when self-expression has become an ideal along with our unrestrained individualism, I wonder if these values are contributing factors to our offense at the Apostle Paul's words to the Philippians. Could it be that our culture is fighting against our attempts at humility?

Our culture encourages self-discovery, working hard for our dreams and our goals, and believing that if we put our mind to it, we can set out to do whatever and be whoever we want. "Don't let anybody tell you you can't do it!" seems to be the motto of our age.

On the surface, this seems to be something noble to say and believe. After all, many of us seem to need this kind of message, especially those who feel as if their lives don't really matter.

I do believe, however, that no matter how benevolent and innocent this narrative seems to be, if we are to follow it to its logical end, we will end up more narcissistic, more depressed, and paradoxically, with a lower self esteem.

The "You Can Do It!" Narrative; Narcissism and Depression
Why? There are many reasons for this. This narrative is leading towards more and more narcissism because the focus is on what we can do as individuals, instead of what we can do as a community. If we follow this train of thought then we should not be surprised that whatever accomplishment comes our way, we feel as if we are fully responsible for it.

But no man is an island. We are sitting on the accomplishments of others, and so to feel that we are fully responsible for our 'individual' accomplishment is not congruent with reality. An astounding student, for example, is a result of many factors. A good student needs a competent teacher. He also needs an educational system that is dedicated to his growth. He must have the help of his classmates to grow in his academic goals. Not only that, but that student is dependent on the knowledge accrued by generations of scholars before he was even born.

The student's accomplishments are also the accomplishments of the community.

Sure, the good student's application is needed for his or her accomplishments, but a more honest answer would be to admit that much more than just individual application is needed for the student's success. There is no such thing as a self-made man.

Additionally, when we are so focused on ourselves, on what we can do and become, the needs of others are by necessity secondary. This can manifest in a growing apathy towards others simply because of the mere fact that we are so busy on focusing on our own goals and ambitions.

This narrative also leads towards lower-self esteem and depression because it can set us up with unhealthy expectations. If, for whatever reason, we do not  do the things we set out to do, or don't become whoever we want to be, then we are the only ones to blame. When our dreams don't come true, we are not satisfied. Satisfaction with our lives is then contingent on the fulfillment of our dreams. In a world of broken dreams, is it any surprise that depression is on the rise?

The Joy of Humility: Considering Others as More Significant
St. Francis was a very humble individual. His life was also based on considering others as more significant than himself. But that narrative didn't lead him to low self esteem and despair. Can we truly look at St. Francis and claim that he lived a depressed life? Instead, we are looking at a man full of joy.

Why is this? Doesn't considering others as more significant mean that we are to have low self esteem? Not at all!

Notice how Paul says that we are to consider others as more significant and not simply one other. We are not called to consider a particular individual as more significant than ourselves, but others in plural. This means that we are to acknowledge the needs of the community as more important than our own.

This also means that when we consider others as more significant than ourselves, we are also not getting our self-esteem from others, or even ourselves. When we reach theosis, or union with God, our being is so interconnected with God's being that no other force has any claim to who we are but God. Only in theosis can we experience liberation of our true and unique selves. We find ourselves by finding God.

A life lived out in the service of others, and not based on our own needs, and a life that is found in our union with God, instead of one enslaved to our goals and ambitions, is one that is truly full of joy. This is the abundant life of humility.

Humility is the door that open us up to God's grace. Humility is the conviction that we are never enough; that our accomplishments and our ambitions are never sufficient. Humility is the recognition that we need others, and more importantly, we need the Great Other, to become who we truly are.

Reflections on Turning 30

On August 25th, I turned 30 years old.

On my birthday, different people asked me the same question: "do you feel different now that you are 30?" I was surprised that I answered "yes, I do". I always thought I'd answer "nah, I feel the same way than I did yesterday when I was 29."

In reality I felt different. Way different.

A Sudden Mental Shift
The first person to ask me this question was my fiance. When she asked me the this, I became aware of a sudden mental shift. I didn't feel different physically, but mentally I experienced a kairos moment, where the weight of my age suddenly became real.

With this realization came the sense that I really need to step up my game, rely less and less on convenient excuses (even valid ones) and do my best to shape up.

Holy Crap I thought I am 30 years old now, my age is no longer an excuse.

I didn't think myself especially flaky or unreliable, but I always left many areas of growth to the tyranny of the future, making the unconscious (and sometimes not so unconscious) excuse that I was young, and that I will always have time to shape up in the future.

Of course, no one knows how much time the future will grant to us, and even if we do, the future never really comes. Why leave growth for tomorrow when it is only possible today?

My Past and Future Legacy
My mind started to flow with thoughts of what I've done in my past 30 years. These thoughts created a mixed bag of contradicting emotions. At times I felt disillusioned and at others proud.

I seem to be an incurable idealist. As I have shared in past posts, I've always felt called to do great things.

In my idealist mind I feel that I should have accomplished a lot more than I have. I feel a sense of grief for all the days, weeks and years that seemed to easily escape me. I grieve the days where I simply decided to stay comfortable.

It is a terrible feeling to know you will never get back all those precious moments.

My mind also started to flow with thoughts of what I will do in my next 30 years. I have this sense of urgency, a sense that life is shorter than I actually thought, and that in order to accomplish more with my life, I simply needed to stay uncomfortable.

We want to do great things but we seldom want to build the character that this call requires.

What will our Legacy Be?
If you are not 30 yet and you are reading this post, I believe you can still benefit from these reflections.

No matter our age, it is still possible to learn from other's people reflections and experiences. You don't need to wait until you are 30 in order to finally have a sense of clear purpose.

Life is much shorter than what they tell you.

Life is not simply to be enjoyed but to be experienced. We hide many excuses from this mantra of "enjoying life." Can we say that Jesus, our ultimate model, came to earth to enjoy His life? If we can't claim that for Himself how can we claim it for ourselves?

It is certainly good to enjoy life. It is idolatrous to make enjoyment of one's life our main purpose.

We need to move from inspiration to sacrifice, for inspiration is empty unless it is accompanied by the deep sustenance of self denial.

Don't give up your lofty ideals to the merciless cry of reality. Having a reality check is healthy, but more time needs to be spent in conforming your reality to your ideals than the other way around.

And finally, don't ever get tired of asking yourself this question, what legacy will my present actions bring to my future events?

Integrity: What It is and Why It is Important

I've been thinking about integrity for a little over a year now, and I have wanted to write a post on integrity for the longest time.

After thinking so much about integrity, I believe this is one of the most important virtues (after humility) that a Christian must practice. Without it we are not trustworthy, we are wishy washy individuals who lack a serious and an indispensable character trait: believability.

After all, if we are not trustworthy and believable, how can we give witness of Christ to the world? Lacking integrity can damage whatever witness we give, and our proclamation of the risen Christ is just as equal as our other proclamations: unbelievable, and for the wrong reasons!

So What Exactly is Integrity?
It is hard to answer this question simply. Integrity is having your inner being (ideas, ideals, thoughts, values, etc...) integral or compatible with your outer being (behavior, words, actions etc...).

A simple way of answering this question is simply this: do whatever you say you will do!

Simple right?

This is perhaps one of the most difficult things we can do perfectly. In fact, this is pretty much impossible to do!

The only being who is perfect in integrity is (you guessed it!) God! After all, He can and will do whatever He sets out to do, and His plans will not be thwarted.

Us? Well, to practice integrity with perfection we would need to know with perfection everything that will happen that can become an obstacle to whatever we set out to do, and the assurance of our capacity to overcome such obstacles.

But before I go all Aristotle on y'all, it is important to note that there is always room to grow in our integrity!

Jesus Kills a Fig Tree!
The passage where Jesus curses a fig tree, found in Mathew and Mark, has always puzzled me. It seemed to me that Jesus was having a bad day. He was "hangry" and cursed a fig tree for only having leaves and not figs, despite the fact that it wasn't fig season.

I mean, geez, we all get a bit unreasonable when we are hungry. I know I am no saint here. But cursing a fig tree seems a little too much.

Of course, Jesus can be an enigma in this passage, but I agree with most Scholars that there is something deeper going on here.

The fig tree was cursed not because it had no fruits, but because by its leaves, it had the pretension to have fruits! In other words, the tree lacked integrity. It showed from the outside that it was a fruitful tree, but when investigated closely for its fruits, well, it had none.

Hypocrisy is just a symptom of lacking integrity. Moral of the story: Jesus doesn't like it when we are hypocrites.

Sometimes we say we will do things we don't really mean to do. We say it for many reasons: to save face, to not offend (yeah, actually, I really don't want to go to your birthday party), or to get someone off our back ( the check is in the mail!)

Sometimes we appear to be better than we actually are. We clean up our houses just before guests arrive to pretend that this is how clean we are. We wear our best clothes to impress. We do our best on the first month of our new job.

I am guilty of all those examples.

The Road to Integrity: Be Who You Are and Do What You Say You Will Do!
Do you suck at dancing? Then dance away horribly! Do you actually hate wine? Then stick to beer! Be unapologetic in your likes and honest in what you suck at!

I know. We want to impress and show our best sides. It is hard to suppress this want. And while I am not advocating that you go out and tell your darkest secrets to a horrified audience, if the opportunity comes between impressing and being honest, be honest.

As you do this you will be amazed at how many people accept you and like you, and even respect you for doing this. And the best part? Those who stick around will like you for the right reasons!

Also, do whatever you say you will do, big or small. You don't feel like doing it now? Too bad! You shouldn't have said you would!

This is perhaps the most difficult part of growing in integrity, but this radical practice of following up on all the things you say, big or small, will have 3 effects: you will become wiser, you will know yourself better, you will become trustworthy.

It will make you wiser because you will realize that you cannot do half the things you say you will! This will restrain our mouths in the future, makes us wiser and more choosy in what we say yes and no to.

It will help you know yourself since you will know what things you really can do, and what things you really cannot do. You will also know what comes easy to you, and what is an area of growth.

It will make you more trustworthy because your word would carry power, and people will trust that if you say you will do something, then you will make it happen, one way or the other. They may say about you "he or she doesn't say yes to everything, but what he or she say yes to, it will happen".

Think about the huge repercussions of this! How many people in the world are like this? Not many. And since people with this strong integrity are so rare, whenever someone finds someone like this they are hugely valued!

Now, we shouldn't practice integrity because it would make us more valued, or for fame or success. Let's pursue integrity for integrity's sake. Let us practice integrity because it helps others trust our witness of faith, and because in doing so, we are imitating Christ, whose promises never fail.