The Virtue of Diligence

Anne DeSantis discusses how moms can foster the virtue of diligence in themselves and their children.

Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote about the virtues and also of the vices in Summa Theologica. Sloth is the sluggishness of mind and of spirit which we can all fall into from time to time. The antidote for sloth is diligence. Diligence is an attitude which exhibits an earnest effort to continue with a task or that of an accomplishment regardless of the distractions and pitfalls which may occur. Diligence, perseverance, and consistency help us to keep going when the going gets tough. Here are a few ways to practice diligence as Catholic moms.

Conscientiousness

The ability to do what is right and to work it through to the end is what it means to be conscientious. It is a virtue worth acquiring when we keep in mind that others are counting on us to do the right thing—and so is God. Doing what we say we are going to do and seeing it through to completion helps us to be diligent. Practicing this virtue and teaching our children the value of doing the right thing helps to instill conscientiousness.

Doing things right the first time

All of us can get caught up in rushing through a task and not doing it right. For busy mothers, it can happen, and it can happen often. No matter what, taking our time with the tasks at hand helps us to be more diligent. When children are taught the value of a job well done, this is of course a good thing. It helps to make the world a better place when we practice diligence by doing tasks the way they should be done.

Being a person of your word

As Catholics, we can get caught up with religiosity, at times forgetting that it takes a lot more to be a good Catholic than just reciting certain prayers, hanging out with religious-minded friends, and following the rules of our faith. We must put our money where our mouth is and also be a person of our word and teach our kids to do the same.

Our faith requires us to be virtuous people through the gifts of the Holy Spirit and through sincere prayer to the Lord to guide our actions. Being a person of our word means we do what we say we are going to do both for others and more importantly for God and for His sake. When we do as we have promised and carry it out, this is diligence.

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When others see that we live our faith, it is attractive to them. #CatholicMom

Diligence is a wonderful virtue to acquire, and it takes work and guidance by the holy spirit. As Catholic mothers, teaching our children to be diligent both at work, at home, and in one’s personal life is not only good, but it is a way to evangelize others. When others see that we live our faith, it is attractive to them. Pray to the Lord for the gift of diligence, and then be sure to act in living it out daily.

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