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March 16

Works and Virtues

One cannot truly be great if one’s life is based on pride. One cannot truly be generous if generosity is based on self-

aggrandizement. One cannot truly be loving if love is some form of manipulation.

There are the things we say and there is the way we truly are. There are the things we do and at the back of those lie the values and motivations that move us.

This highlights that we are complex creatures. It also recognizes that what moves us is as important, if not more important, than what we say or do.

The desert father Abbot Agatho once said, “If an angry man were to raise the dead, because of his anger he would not please God.”75 Such a person would, of course, please others. They would think he was a saint. They would think he was like Jesus and a man of power and virtue. But there is more to the story of a person than simply his or her achievements or abilities, for God looks at the heart.

Thus what moves us is of great importance. Are we motivated by love, even if we are not perfect? Are we moved to bless the other person, even though not everything we say or do is helpful? Are we energized to follow Jesus, even if there are detours in the road?

The mark of a person of maturity, wisdom, and integrity is that what he or she seeks to do harmonizes with one’s deepest intentions to live to the glory of God and the well-being of others.

Reflection

When the movement of head, heart, and hand are one, a person is truly integrated.