By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16
How virtues are proved and fortified by their contraries:
“Up to the present, I have taught you how a man may serve his neighbor, and manifest, by that service, the love which he has towards Me. Now I wish to tell you further, that a man proves his patience on his neighbor, when he receives injuries from him.
Similarly, he proves his humility on a proud man, his faith on an infidel, his true hope on one who despairs, his justice on the unjust, his kindness on the cruel, his gentleness and benignity on the irascible. Good men produce and prove all their virtues on their neighbor, just as perverse men all their vices; thus, if you consider well, humility is proved on pride in this way. The humble man extinguishes pride, because a proud man can do no harm to a humble one; neither can the infidelity of a wicked man, who neither loves Me, nor hopes in Me, when brought forth against one who is faithful to Me, do him any harm; his infidelity does not diminish the faith or the hope of him who has conceived his faith and hope through love of Me, it rather fortifies it, and proves it in the love he feels for his neighbor.
For, he sees that the infidel is unfaithful, because he is without hope in Me, and in My servant, because he does not love Me, placing his faith and hope rather in his own sensuality, which is all that he loves. My faithful servant does not leave him because he does not faithfully love Me, or because he does not constantly seek, with hope in Me, for his salvation, inasmuch as he sees clearly the causes of his infidelity and lack of hope.
The virtue of faith is proved in these and other ways. Wherefore, to those, who need the proof of it, My servant proves his faith in himself and in his neighbor, and so, justice is not diminished by the wicked man’s injustice, but is rather proved, that is to say, the justice of a just man. Similarly, the virtues of patience, benignity, and kindness manifest themselves in a time of wrath by the same sweet patience in My servants, and envy, vexation, and hatred demonstrate their love, and hunger and desire for the salvation of souls.”
Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) in The Dialogue of Catherine of Siena, trans. by Algar Thorold (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., 1907) and ed. by Harry Plantinga (1994) 22-23
I wish I could have engaged in dialogue with Catherine. In this excerpt from “How virtues are proved and fortified by their contraries” she reminds us that our true colors come out not so much on good days but in times of adversity.
To see if virtues of generosity and kindness are present in our lives we must look on bad days when evil abounds against us and not just good days when we live in harmony with our neighbor.
How are you doing with regard to difficulty?
One of my daily readers replied a few days ago rejoicing that God allowed generosity and kindness to flow through him when everything around him seemed to be unraveling. Of course I affirmed him and praised God for this testimony, but let’s reflect on it a moment.
The reason we marinate in God’s Word is so that its flavors come out when we are cut. The reason we soak in Scripture is so that living water saturates us and spills onto others when we are knocked over. We must not be overcome by contraries but overcome them with good.
How do we grow in these areas? We can’t apart from allowing God to work in us.
Hear this as yet another invitation to make the most of Lent in 2019! Consider what you will fast from, give to, and pray for this Lent and how God might want to use those disciplines to make sure the fruits of kindness and generosity are “proved and fortified by their contraries.”