Virtuous Living Yields Joy

Charlene Rack hopes that we can convince our neighbors by example to revisit the Christian virtues and revitalize their souls!

We’re presented daily with the choice of doing good or evil, loving or hating, considering how our actions affect those around us, or living thoughtlessly in selfish disregard of others. Our decisions will also impact our own lives. Joy, fulfillment, and a peaceful soul are the fruits of living virtuously. 

Recently, I was given an opportunity to practice the cardinal virtues of prudence and justice, the theological virtue of charity, and the capital virtue of brotherly love.  

I was at the grocery store, in the act of bringing home the bacon (literally), and right there on the floor of the meat aisle I noticed a wad of the figurative "bacon.” The outer bill was a hundred dollars, and I could see that it was wrapped around a couple of other bills. That selfish childhood rhyme popped into my mind, “Finders, Keepers; Losers, Weepers,” and I hesitated for a second before bending down to pick it up, but I knew that if I didn’t do it, someone else would, possibly someone who thought Finders/Keepers was a tenable philosophy for decision making … so I swooped down to grab it. 

I went to the service desk to tell someone what I had found, and asked if they could make an announcement. The young man said that they don’t make announcements; they just put it in the register and wait until someone comes asking for it. “No way!” I said. “I found this money, and I’m responsible for getting it back to the person who lost it. It’s not going into the till of some large grocery market chain! Someone’s going to show up at a register soon and discover their loss, so just page me!”

I gave him my name, promising to stay in the store until someone came asking about their lost cash. I continued to shop, and was in an aisle very close to the service desk when I heard a lady say, “What does she look like?!” I walked around the corner to find a frantic young mother in tears. I removed the bills from my pocket (which I had determined to be a total of $140), and handed them to her.

She hugged me tight several times while saying, “Thank you so much,” over and over again (neither of us stopping to think about possible Covid germs.). I told her I was honored that God had been able to use me to help her out that day. I felt a huge rush of joy and gratitude, and then I teared up a little.

A couple of store employees stood off to the side quietly applauding. Other workers told me how she had come to them for help, looking for her money, and they sent her to the service desk. One of them said that I was in the minority of people who would choose to be a good Samaritan in such a situation.

I hold on to hope that he was wrong. There are certainly many other good and kind people out there, but they’re incognito, just waiting for a chance to “suit up” and use their heroic love-in-action! What happened to us that day was a charitable act of God. I was there as Christ’s servant, His heart, His sacrificial love, and I took full advantage of it. I felt pain for whoever it was, knowing that he or she was going to have a minute or two of terrible anxiety until we “found” each other. But I was paged, and was at her side within ten seconds to restore what belonged to her. She left that store feeling very grateful.

Two lives (plus several appreciative bystanders) came together for a matter of seconds, and left feeling blessed, all because of the practice of holy virtues. 

Click to tweet:
There are certainly many good and kind people out there, but they’re incognito, just waiting for a chance to “suit up” and use their heroic love-in-action! #catholicmom

We see in the news these days many stories of death, depression, addiction, unfaithfulness, selfishness, confusion, and complaint. This is not who we are, not as a country, and specifically, not as children of God. Or at least it’s not who we should be. We, made in the likeness of God, are designed for happiness. Our hearts are made to love, sacrifice, and live according to God’s plan for our lives. What we are witnessing now is millions of souls gone astray. As St. Matthew quotes in the Gospel bearing his name, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus responds to us just as He did to His disciples.

“For human beings, this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26).

We must turn to God in confident entreaty, while modeling the virtues of the great saints, being always poised to act in heroic virtue. Only then will the seemingly impossible begin to happen! 

For more insight on the Catholic virtues, visit Catholic365.com.

Copyright 2021 Charlene Rack
Image