Let The Saints Guide You To An Extraordinary Life! A Lesson on Heroic Virtue

The saints are as different as they are similar. Some saints lived short lives; some long ones; some saints were married, others single; some saints came from prominence, others from obscurity; some saints were devoted to God their whole life, others only after a conversion of heart. The common thread that runs through the lives of the saints is a love for God.

What made the saints extraordinary?

Virtue.

Our newest Good Catholic series, Heroic Virtue, offers a blueprint for living an extraordinary life by exploring what it means to live a life of virtue.

Jesus Christ lived the ultimate example of a virtuous life. Therefore we know that to be heroically virtuous is to be Christ-like. As human beings, we also know how hard it is to practice virtue, especially in the face of adversity. Yet virtue is magnetic—which is why the saints are so attractive. They followed Christ’s example and became champions in the heroic life.

By pairing the virtues with saints (some familiar and some not), this newest Good Catholic series presents the knowledge and encouragement needed to begin living a heroically-virtuous life in response to God’s call to holiness. The following are just some of the themes explored in Heroic Virtue.

• What does it mean to say “in the middle lies the virtue”?
• Why is the fullness of the Christian life summarized as the “perfection of virtue”?
• Why is the virtuous life the happy life?
• How does God use Heroic Christian virtue as a means to redeem and ennoble the world?
• How do we imitate the saints and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus amidst all the vicissitudes of this earthly life?

Besides the more commonly known virtues such as humility, perseverance, and patience, this series will also show you how to grow in the lesser-known virtues such as:

• Affability
• Magnanimity
• Shrewdness
• Devotion
• Liberality
• Simplicity

And finally, you will become more acquainted with the saints and learn from them how to incorporate virtuous living into your everyday life. Here are some of the saints highlighted:

• Saint Edmund Campion
• Saint Gregory the Great
• Saint Zita of Lucca
• Saint Germaine Cousin
• Saint Jane de Chantal
• Saint Isaac Jogues

Heroic Virtue includes 21 articles and videos through which subscribers will learn not only what virtue is and how it can be expressed in our lives, but also how the virtues were modeled in the lives of the saints. Father Timothy Reid, who many remember from the Good Catholic series The Four Last Things, adds insight and elaboration on a topic within each day’s theme.

After the daily article and video, a scriptural audio rosary and novena prayer conclude the daily content and help to ensure spiritual fruit by bringing us back to prayer. Participants are invited to join the exclusive Heroic Virtue Facebook Group (where they can join in discussions with other subscribers who are on the same journey) and to follow the Good Catholic Facebook page.

The virtuous life is not easy, but it is the life we long for, and it is attainable. By learning from the saints, we can seek to live extraordinary lives and strive to become the saints God made us to be.

“If we are discontent with our present state, whatever it may be, and want to do something better and higher, we have great reason to be thankful to God. For such discontent is one of His best gifts, and a great sign that we are really making progress in the spiritual life. But we must remember that our dissatisfaction with ourselves must be of such a nature as to increase our humility, and not to cause disquietude of mind or uneasiness in our devotional exercises. … strange as it may sound, it is a sign of our growth if we are always making new beginnings and fresh starts.”

–Father Peter FaberLearn more about the 21-day Heroic Virtue devotional series here.