Foresight & Perseverance

The wonderful truth about living a virtuous life is that when we grow in one virtue, the others also increase. To see how they are interconnected, let’s take a look at foresight and perseverance.

Foresight is thinking or planning ahead and perseverance enables us to “stick to the plan” to the bitter end. Quite frankly, this is what is often lacking in fully implementing a plan. Sure it is fun and energizing to daydream and imagine great big plans, however, it is another thing to bring these plans to completion.  

In the past few months, we have certainly witnessed how all the virtues interact during this “new normal” of working, teaching, and living during a pandemic. Let me encourage you to persevere and remain faithful to whatever task or responsibility you may have. Beneath the surface lies the fruit of the Spirit which is joy. In his book, Morality the Catholic View,  Fr. Servais Pinckaers describes joy as  “the direct effect of an excellent action, like the savor of a long task finally accomplished… Joy is born of trials…Joy is lasting, like the excellence, the virtues, that engender it” (p.78).
 
May you experience the joy which comes from planning ahead and diligently working to complete the plan.