Servant of God Archbishop Fulton Sheen said the difference between Judas and Peter is that Peter became a saint “because he overcame his weakness with the help of God’s grace.” In other words, Peter responded to grace and so became capable of heroic virtue. Every one of the saints canonized by the Church has been raised to the honors of the altar because of a life of heroic virtue. The Catholic Dictionary defines heroic virtue as: “The performance of extraordinary virtuous actions with readiness and over a period of time. The moral virtues are exercised with ease, while faith, hope, and charity are practiced to an eminent degree. The presence of such virtues is required by the Church as the first step toward canonization. The person who has practiced heroic virtue is declared to be Venerable, and is called a ‘Servant of God.’”
What does “heroic virtue” have to do with us? Well, plenty. We are all called to lives of holiness. We are all called — every single one of us — to become saints. St. Faustina recorded in her Diary that she “felt the gaze of God” in her soul. She was immediately filled with love and understood that God was drawing close to her heart because of her virtues and heroic efforts. She wrote, “It is from this that I have come to understand that it is not enough for me to strive only for ordinary virtues, but that I must try to exercise the heroic virtues” Divine Mercy in my soul # 758.
Imagine if every one of the faithful stepped up to the plate and strove to grow in the virtues! To be able to practice heroic virtues, according to Benedict XIV, we must be “already purified from all attachment to things worldly, and solidly anchored in the love of God.” I’d say we have our work cut out for us — each one of us in our own state of life. God is sure to provide plenty of opportunities for us to strive for holiness and to allow Him to purify us so that we are able to exercise the heroic virtues. You must have noticed already, but I believe as you continue on in your pilgrimage with St. Faustina, you will surely observe again and again this young sister’s practice of the heroic virtues. Take time this week to reflect on your spiritual life. Are you striving for heroic virtue? Do you lean on God for strength and not on your own abilities? Why or why not?
We will let the Lord finish out our reflections on attributes and virtues. What better than to live as Jesus does?
“During that time, the Lord gave me much light to know His attributes.
The first attribute which the Lord gave me to know is His holiness. His holiness is so great that all the Powers and Virtues tremble before Him. The pure spirits veil their faces and lose themselves in unending adoration, and with one single word they express the highest form of adoration; that is — Holy… The holiness of God is poured out upon the Church of God and upon every living soul in it, but not in the same degree. There are souls who are completely penetrated by God, and there are those who are barely alive.
The second kind of knowledge which the Lord granted me concerns His justice. His justice is so great and penetrating that it reaches deep into the heart of things, and all things stand before Him in naked truth, and nothing can withstand Him.
The third attribute is love and mercy. And I understood that the greatest attribute is love and mercy. It unites the creature with the Creator. This immense love and abyss of mercy are made known in the Incarnation of the Word and in the Redemption [of humanity], and it is here that I saw this as the greatest of all God’s attributes.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 180