In the ascent towards holiness and happiness, a Catholic man must build the good habits (Virtue, from the Latin, vir, meaning “manliness, moral strength, goodness, valor”) of the moral life and break the bad habits (Vice, from the Latin, vitium, meaning “defect, offense, blemish, imperfection”) which cause him to fall into sin and risk losing his salvation. The Church provides a comprehensive list of Virtues which fall into two major categories: Theological Virtues (Supernatural) and Cardinal Virtues (Human).
Because it is impossible for a mere man ascend to Heaven on his own ability, God grants every Catholic man the supernatural help to grow in Virtue through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which are freely available to every Catholic man who remains in a state of grace; even if a Catholic man falls into mortal sin and loses the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, he can repent, confess his sins in the Sacrament of Penance and return to a state of grace and regain access to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
What a man needs to break Vice and build Virtue is to come to understand Vice and Virtue and then seek God’s help.
To help men understand Virtue and Vice and take concrete action, EveryCathoicMan.com has developed the Litanies of Virtue.
To learn more about Vice, Virtue and the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit, go to EveryCatholicMan.com.
To see a written version of the Litany of Hope go to EveryCatholicMan.com.
