What is "Virtue"

Is Virtue just a personality trait associated with being good? 

Virtues (i am speaking as a Catholic Christian) are special "graces" from our creation entity ("God") that allow mankind to accomplish good deeds. 

The Church (Christian community) distinguishes two categories of "virtue": moral and theological.

"Moral" virtues help us live within morality established or recorded in the Gospel (New Testament; words of Jesus Christ).  These consist of:

• Prudence (grace to make judgments)
• Justice
• Temperance
• Fortitude
• Humility
• Patience
• Obedience to the Gospel
• Chastity
• Piety
• Veracity

The first 4 are "Cardinal" virtues, meaning fundamental.

Theological virtues are faith, hope, and charity.  These virtues are also infused into mankind (another element that distinguishes mankind from animals) making it possible to exhibit the other virtues.

A good person, a good Christian, will make perennial efforts to exhibit "virtue".  None of us is perfect, we are all sinners, the challenge is to use our God-given willpower to exhibit virtue.  Virtues are an example of how Christianity provided the basis of good moral behavior among mankind, antithetical to some of the selfish and immoral behavior encouraged through atheist or pagan philosophies and attitudes.  Make an attempt to exhibit virtues, it will make your community and the world a better place.

Ash Wednesday

What is “Ash Wednesday” ?

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a 40 day period of contemplation of one’s sins, 46 days before Easter (Easter is when we acknowledge the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and remember his sacrifice and instructions and then celebrate his resurrection).  Jesus spent 40 days fasting from notable meals and resisting temptation out on the road.  A Christian may fast on Ash Wednesday as Lent begins and we abstain from meat on Fridays as a form of conscious sacrifice to help us remember the sacrifice of Jesus in our name.

On Ash Wednesday if you attend mass you will be marked on your forehead with ash in the form of a cross.  The ashen cross serves as a reminder of our mortality, serves as a presentation to others that we are committed Christians, and serves to encourage us to turn away from sin and be faithful to the will of our Creation Entity as we can discern what that will might be.  The words might be expressed “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Ecclesiastes 3:20).  You might also pray, or you might hear, “turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel [of the Lord]”.

The ashes used by the church community are made from burning the blessed palms used on Palm Sunday celebrated the previous year.

Ashes were used as a sign of repentance in the Old Testament (see Daniel 9:3-4).  During the middle ages, sinners could repent in public for 40 days by wearing hairshirts blessed by a bishop, subsequently burned to produce ashes poured over the sinner’s head. 

Ash is a sacramental (a.k.a. aid to devotion), due to the way it is prepared, meaning it is another physical reminder that opens our heart and minds to the Grace of God.  Another sacramental is holy water.  When I dip my finger into the holy water at church I might pray “By this water and by your precious blood, wash away all my sins Lord Jesus Christ”.  Or I might pray “Lord, I will never forget my baptism, and my faith in you is eternal”.

Epiphany

EPIPHANY and the 12 DAYS of CHRISTMAS

Christmas is over and New Year’s passes, time to take down the festive decorations and Christmas tree correct?  No.  The “12 days of Christmas” are celebrated from December 25 to January 5, culminating in the “Epiphany” on January 6.  So if you are a Christian, consider keeping up those decorations and nativity scenes and Christmas trees through JANUARY 6.

“Epiphany”: (simple modern definition) A moment when you suddenly understand something in a new clear way.  The word comes from the greek word epiphainein which means “reveal” and the latin word epiphania (revelation, appearance, manifestation).

Early Christians celebrated a Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  The feast is officially on January 6 but in mass is celebrated on the Sunday that falls between January 2 and January 8.  Epiphany appears to have originally celebrated the nativity of Jesus, the visit by the “wise men”, the baptism of Jesus, and the first miracle of Jesus, all revelations of God to man:

·         Nativity: God is revealed in the physical nature of man and the shepherds, representing the people of Israel, bow before him.

·         Visitation of the 3 magi or wise men: Christ’s divine nature is revealed to the gentiles (non-jews).

·         Christ’s baptism: The holy spirit is revealed, declaring Jesus as the “son” of God.  Jesus was Baptist when he was approximately 30 years old and then began to evangelize teaching men and women about our Creator.

·         Wedding in Cana: Christ reveals divinity through the performance of one (of many) eye-witnessed miracles.

In the English lands (former colonies of Great Britain such as the USA, Australia, etc), the custom has been to give gifts on Christmas when we all serve in honor of Saint Nicholas (Santa Niclaus), but in some countries the custom is to give gifts on the Epiphany (January 6) representing when the visitors (wise men) brought gifts to Jesus and his family.  In northern Europe some give gifts throughout the 12 days of Christmas (i.e. gifts from Santa on Christmas, then small gift every day through Epiphany). 

The period from Christmas to Epiphany is also known as “Christmastide”.

Today Orthodox (Eastern) Christians, Catholic Christians, and Anglican Christians observe Epiphany, although the custom is not well known among Protestant Christians.

Epiphany is sometimes referred to as “Three Kings Day” (El Dia de los Reyes) or “Feast of the 3 Kinds” or the “Twelfth Day” or “Festival of the the 3 Magic Kings” (Spain) (Fiesta de Los Tres Reyes Mages).

Christmas day is the celebration of the birth of Christ, and this ushers in the 12 days of celebration of Christ ending on the Epiphany.  Each day has been a celebration of a particular saint:

·         Dec. 25: Celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ

·         Dec. 26: Celebrate Saint Stephens; the first Christian martyr.

·         Dec. 27: Saint John the Apostle

·         Dec. 28: The feast of holy innocents (the baby boys King Herod might have ordered killed in Judea)

·         Dec. 29: Saint Thomas Becket, ArchBishop of Canterbury murdered in Dec. 29, 1170 for challenging a king’s authority over the church.

·         Dec. 30: Saint Egwin of Worcester.

·         Dec. 31: Pope Sylvester 1 (4^th century pope) and New Year’s Eve.

·         Jan. 1: Mary, mother of Jesus.

·         Jan. 2: Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen (4^th century Christians).

·         Jan. 3: Feast of the holy name of Jesus.

·         Jan. 4: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint (18^th-19^th century Christian). 

·         Jan. 5: Saint John Newmann, first American Bishop (19^th century).

If you are Orthodox you can take the swim in celebration, just as many Russians do in icy water on this day.  There is a large community in Tarpon Springs that is Orthodox that celebrates the baptism of Jesus during Epiphany (see photo).

  

 In Russia Epiphany gives many Christians an opportunity to celebrate and "wake up" to the will of God by takeing a pluge into the icy waters of winter.

So remember why we celebrate Christmas (birth of Christ), but remember to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas in the period through Epiphany.