It may seem unfair, at first, to say that wisdom is a virtue — after all, doesn’t everyone know one or two people who seem incapable of wisdom? Well, that depends on what we actually mean when we talk about “wisdom.” Wisdom is not mere scholarliness. It is more than being smart. They say that…

The word “serenity” is only found once in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: in the section describing the effects of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, quoting the Council of Trent when it declared that a good confession “is usually followed by peace and serenity of conscience.” (CCC 1468) This may give the impression that serenity…

A holy hour is the practice of spending one hour’s time in Sacrament, praying and meditating on the agony of Jesus Christ. More broadly, a holy hour can also refer to any 60 minutes set aside in prayer and reflection, whether in church or elsewhere. The holy hour devotion dates to the late 17th century,…

The daily examen is a spiritual practice derived from the writings of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus.  A Basque nobleman, Ignatius underwent a series of religious conversions as a young man following a wound sustained in the Battle of Pamplona in 1521. His Spiritual Exercises were first published in…

Question: I accept on faith that God is a Trinity of Persons, and I know it’s something we can’t fully understand. Should I just accept that, or should I try to learn more? Answer: There’s a legend from the life of St. Augustine. As the early Church grappled with the identity of Christ and his…

Question: I accept on faith that God is a Trinity of Persons, and I know it’s something we can’t fully understand. Should I just accept that, or should I try to learn more? Answer: There’s a legend from the life of St. Augustine. As the early Church grappled with the identity of Christ and his…

Empathy describes our ability to connect emotionally with the suffering of others, as Christ connected emotionally with our suffering in original sin. This virtue flows directly from the virtue of charity, and growth in charity will enable growth in empathy.