We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.
If we look carefully we see St Paul beginning with what we call the three theological virtues: faith, love, and hope.
The term “theological virtues” can sound daunting but it is a simple idea.
A virtue is a habit. Athletes and others train by repetition. They do something over and over and over again to develop what is called “muscle memory” so that, when needed, the person repeats the action almost as a reflex. That way when they are in a stressful situation they don’t have to stop and think, they can act.
Virtue is that good behavior that has become moral muscle memory, behavior that we have practiced until it become our way of being, our immediate response. If it is bad habitual behavior we call it vice.
Some virtues we can develop on our own simply my practice. If we practice moderation enough we will over time develop the virtue called termperance.
There are however three virtues that you cannot achieve by your own power. They require God’s intervention. They require grace. Those are faith, hope, and love. You may be thinking as you read this that people who are not religious love others. The Christian response is simple. Any real love that any of us has, we have becaus it was poured into our hearts by God, whether we know it or not.
Faith, hope and love are gifts from God. But they are like seeds. They must be carefully tended on a daily basis, if they are to grow and bear fruit.
