It has been attested to by scholars of Christian belief that there are five predominant qualities in the make-up of an exemplary follower of Christ. These virtues are: faith, love, hope, humility and obedience to the will of God. Any person exemplifying such pattern of inner disposition and behavior will not fail in living a life according to the will of Heaven.
For if we have faith, we entrust our life to Jesus and are willing to walk in his footsteps when carrying our cross of earthly suffering. When still among us, Jesus deplored his fellow men to do as the Master does; to embrace our daily pain and to fully trust in God’s eternal providence that everything we are destined to endure is for our good, and a higher good.
Love is important in and of itself. For if we possessed all other qualities and virtues, yet did not have love, what good would ensue? Who could possibly benefit from offerings made without compassion, from acts missing empathy, charity or the power of forgiveness? Even though any such gift provided might generally be appreciated by the receiver, if love was absent the undertaking would lack a most necessary spiritual ingredient – namely Heaven’s blessing, which makes the endeavor complete.
Hope is the desire to endure and to never give up on God’s word, the teachings of His Church and the many manifestations of the splendid work of the Holy Spirit who inspires us to unceasingly search for the innermost Truth. Had we no hope, we would fail in this important quest, for there would be no string of attempts to overcome impasses, mental roadblocks, and distractions of forces of evil. We would, at one point, simply quit and give up on our responsibility to steadily grow as Christians in attempting to understand the desire of God.
Humility is the prerequisite to hear the Almighty, to discern His will and to cleanse ourselves of pride and self-grandeur. Nothing can be achieved in our spiritual development if we hold on to a vision of self-centeredness and misunderstood personal importance. For in our relationship with God we are totally dependent and weak. We have no power to decide the beginning of our life, nor can we determine the date and time of our natural death. Without God’s cleansing power through the sacrament of penance we could not successfully overcome the weakening force of original sin, making up every person’s human condition. Indeed, the only strength we possess is to fully love our Creator for all His wondrous deeds and to praise Him – by our works– wholeheartedly. Such praise is impossible if it does not emerge from a humble heart.
Finally, a good Christian needs to be obedient to the command of God. One thing is to understand Heaven’s will, another to live by it and to ask that it becomes our roadmap to eternity. As long as we do not ask the Almighty to be cleansed by His will, we cannot close the circle of spiritual wholeness in what is an inherently imperfect state of soul. Personal holiness – our greatest possible achievement as humans – requires that all of the above elements are incorporated in our desire to please God, so that we can be rightfully called His faithful children while living our earthly existence – and be named the chosen heirs of Heaven’s age to come.
FAITHBOUND 