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Dear Friends and Benefactors,
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and many blessings for the New Year.
At this time of year it is not uncommon for people to take or at least consider
taking New Year’s resolutions. Some do so to improve their physical health,
others hope to overcome some weakness in their character, while still others
hope to improve their surroundings. Some actually carry through with their
resolutions, but many more find them too difficult and give up soon after
starting. Nor is this an uncommon occurrence in life–whether it be New Year’s
resolutions, retreat resolutions or simply the promptings of conscience to lead
a better life–we find them difficult to put into practice.
The reason why we have such difficulty is that the dispositions of our powers of
intellect, will and passions are not properly ordered in relation to our human
nature. We have allowed certain bad habits to form which have caused disorder
among these powers, preventing them from harmoniously working toward the same
goal. As habits they are difficult to overcome.
Because our tendencies have a character of universality, we are not only capable
of but we need habits for efficient action. Our mind seeks all truth but because
we do not possess it as God does we can choose which truth to seek. Our wills
seek all good but because we do not possess it as God does we can choose which
good, real or apparent, we will seek. Likewise our sense appetite tends towards
all the pleasures of the body. In order to act efficiently in the attainment of
any truth or good we require a certain ease in the direction of our powers. A
child trying to be generous with his toys will look anxiously from the treasured
possession to the other child, to his mother and back again, all the while
struggling with the desire to keep it to himself. He hesitates then slowly hands
it over and often as not quickly snatches it back or begins to cry. If every
free decision in life required as much effort it would be quite an intolerable
burden for us. Habits help us to avoid being frequently frustrated in the face
of the multitude of truths and goods that surround us by making our free choices
easy. Therefore before we
can efficiently choose to do good in any and all circumstances we must acquire
habits. If a farmer tried to irrigate his fields with a bucket, his efforts
would not only be highly inefficient but most likely his fields would never
produce the abundant harvest he hopes for. But if his initial labors are spent
digging a ditch or laying a pipe, he will efficiently provide a path which will
allow an abundant flow of water to his fields. Habits (specifically operative or
active habits) are like an irrigation ditch which easily directs the powers of
our intellect, will or sense appetite to a definite kind of action. Thus, for
example, if someone wants to tell the truth in any and all circumstances he must
acquire the habit of truthfulness.
Because habits are the key to efficient action it is important to know what
causes them. There are basically three causes of habits: nature, human activity
and God. Our human nature
helps us to acquire active habits by either providing certain knowledge through
our senses or by providing the beginnings of habits through our appetitive
powers in the way of certain dispositions or temperaments. Good eyesight or
hearing can help us to easily acquire knowledge. Specific temperaments may give
inclinations to patience, purity or anger. Nature gives man his first push
towards natural virtue.
Usually when we speak of God as the source of habits we speak of the infusion of
the supernatural habits of Faith, Hope and Charity, which elevate our natural
powers to be capable of leading the divine life. But it is also possible to find
natural operative habits which have been infused by God. Such would be the case
of someone obtaining the intellectual habit of a particular language which they
have never naturally learned.
The principal cause of operative habits on the natural level is human activity.
Repeated acts of the same kind form habits. Each act is another shovel full of
dirt forming the ditch which helps the power of our will flow easily in the
right direction and difficult to flow any other way. A truthful man easily tells
the truth but finds it hard to tell a lie. And just as the ditch can be widened
or filled in, to increase or decrease the flow of water, so habits can grow or
diminish. The former is done by more frequent and intense acts of the habit
already established while the latter by either acting contrary to the habit or
by ceasing to use it.
However, efficiency in action is not our only concern in life since we can just
as efficiently wreck our lives as make them successful. Habits differ in
morality. If a habit inclines us toward a morally good action it is called
virtue. Virtue helps us to move efficiently towards God by properly ordering our
powers of intellect, will and sense appetite. This perfects our humanity and
increases our likeness to Him. If a habit inclines us towards a morally bad
action it is called vice. Vice wounds our humanity by putting disorder between
our powers. This decreases our likeness to God and reduces us to the level of
beasts. Since we lose or
attain our true happiness by our human actions, our habits and their morality
are of great importance to us. We should take serious the formation of virtue in
ourselves and in the children God has placed in our care. The apparent lack of
virtue today’s youth is evidence that many do not take it seriously (e.g.,
the lack of respect, responsibility and resourcefulness name a few). If we do
not help our children to form good habits the tendency will be for them to form
vices, which will only help them to move efficiently away from God.
This formation must start from the cradle and continue throughout our lives. We
should take the time to reflect on our activities and the habits being formed by
them in ourselves and our children. Some people turn a deaf ear when their
priest speaks against television, video games, modern “music” or immodesty. But
what habits do these actions form in us? Can we truly say that they help us to
form virtues that perfect our intellects and wills? Or that they help to bring
our passions into control? Do they help us to move closer to God by helping us
to become more God like? The evidence proves they do not and is the reason they
are often spoken against.
If we wish to live a truly human life, virtue is necessary. On the natural level
to help perfect us as men, while on the supernatural level to perfect us as
children of God and heirs to heaven. Because the world is built on truth and
filled with goodness we are offered innumerable opportunities for knowledge and
love. Virtue allows us to use our human powers properly to embrace these,
perfecting the same powers and enabling us to successfully act in conquering the
world for ourselves and ourselves for God. This alone can lead to true
happiness. Sincerely in
the Holy Family, Fr.
John D. Fullerton |
