Day 17 - Choosing Beauty

"Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy." 

(Leviticus 19:2) 

Virtue is beauty. 

To be beautiful is a choice. Beauty is virtue. What is virtue? The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good." Virtue is to be in the habit of doing the good. We all have a call to holiness, to be holy as our Heavenly Father is holy. To answer this call and to become the daughters of God that we were created to be, requires the development of virtue. The definition of virtue goes on to say that virtue "allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions" (1803). Virtue is living holiness. It is to embrace the good, choose the good, and perform the good every day, every hour, every minute. 

To become truly beautiful is a journey marked by many small choices to do the good. Choose to do the good in your home, at work, at school. Choose to do the good when you are angry, tired, irritated, impatient, and tempted to choose the lesser good. Choose to do the good when you don't want to. In choosing to do the good  we are choosing God, choosing to become who He created us to be, choosing beauty. St. Gregory of Nyssa said, "The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God." Our goal is to be holy as God is holy (CCC 1803). The practice of virtue leads us not only to do the good but to become good. 

In our pursuit of virtue we choose to imitate God. St. Paul wrote, "Be imitators of God, as dearly children" (Ephesians 5:1). We are daughters of God, and so we are called to be imitators of Him. Children imitate their parents. If you are a parent, you know this well. Our children imitate us, good and bad examples. I have seen my own bad habits surface in my children, and am pleasantly surprised when good habits become natural for them. So it is with us and our Heavenly Father, except He doesn't have bad habits. If we imitate Him, we can become perfect in good habit. 

We imitate those with whom we are in close relationship. Children imitate their parents because they are their closest relationship and most evident role models. When we have a living relationship with God, when we walk in His presence everyday, we will begin to imitate His goodness. Virtue will begin to naturally guide our actions. Then, our souls will shine as living imitations of God, and reveal true beauty to the world. 

Today's Challenge: 

Choose beauty today through virtue. Choose the good where you don't want to. In whatever situation you find yourself in today, choose the good. Choose patience with your children. Choose forgiveness with someone who has hurt you. Choose joy rather than despair. Choose to do menial tasks with love. Choose beauty. 

Today's Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, give me the grace to live as your daughter, to live in you and to imitate you. Help me to choose virtue today over sin. Help me to find you in the difficult choices that I face. Help me to overcome gossip, detraction, greed, envy, quick temper, disrespect, impatience, etc. that I might choose the good. Help me to choose to become truly beautiful. Amen.