The Lenten Virtue Challenge

Lent 2012 has begun! For the next 40 days we will be striving to prepare ourselves for Easter through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Each of us has different struggles and different areas of our lives in which we would like to grow this Lent. Maybe you’ve resolved to make prayer more central, or you are fasting from a T.V. show or website that gets in the way of your spiritual growth. No matter what your particular focus is this Lent I can bet it is going to involve virtue, and so I would like to invite you to participate in the Lenten Virtue Challenge!

Virtue is defined as “a habitual and firm disposition to do the good.” (CCC 1803) Naturally, the sacrifices we resolve to make during Lent should be based on our love for God and our desire to do the good. With virtue, this desire to do the good can be transformed into a “habitual and firm disposition.” It is virtue that allows us to stay strong in our fasting and prayer for all 40 days of Lent. In addition to allowing us to do the good, virtue also allows us to give the very best of ourselves. (CCC. 1803) The Prophet Joel encourages to do just that in the first reading from Mass today: “Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart…” (Joel, 2:12-18)

The Catechism also adds that “the virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.” (CCC 1803)

This quote leads to the goal of our Lenten Virtue Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to help us grow as virtuous women through formation and practical applications of virtue, so that we may remain strong in our Lenten resolutions and be ready to receive the Our Risen Lord at Easter.

Each Monday of Lent we will be introducing one of the four Cardinal Virtues and focusing on that virtue throughout the week. There will be explanations of each of the virtues, suggestions of concrete ways to live them out, and testimonies and reflections. We would also like to invite you to use the comments section as a place to share insights and engage in discussion on the virtues.

Please invite your friends, household sisters, coworkers, and classmates to participate in the challenge as well! The more women that are involved the more we can all help each other grow in virtue!

God Bless,

Megan