Author: Virginia Lieto

You can find Virginia blogging about the virtues at virginialieto.com. Virginia has a Master of Arts Degree in Pastoral Theology. She is an adjunct professor of Theology at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. Virginia is the author of a children's book titled, "Adventures of Faith, Hope and Charity - Finding Patience." Virginia is also a public speaker on the Catholic faith. She lives in Harrisburg, NC with her husband Nick.

Do You Want to Go to Heaven?

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Heaven

Heaven

How often do you think about it? Do you ever wonder what it is going to be like? Mansions in the sky? A feast to top all feasts? Whatever your concept of Heaven might be, there is something that you need to be working on right now if you ever want to see it: developing the virtue of Piety, in the here and now. Piety is both a gift from the Holy Spirit and a virtue. To be pious, or in other words, to possess piety, means that you are holy, or saintly, in your thoughts words and deeds.

Do you think of others’ needs and address them before your own? Do you speak well of others, and of God, or… Read more…

Bias: We Are All Guilty!

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

purple hair

Bias serves no good purpose. To be biased means to have preconceived notions, or prejudices; in essence to pre-judge someone based upon their looks, words and/or actions. Therefore, bias is the opposite of disinterestedness. We are all guilty of some degree of bias. Sometimes, to remove bias from our lives, we need to step outside of our comfort zones, and open our minds and hearts to others.

How often do you avoid talking to someone that you don’t know well, just because of their looks, assuming that you have nothing in common? Ever hear the phrase, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover?’ Well, here’s a great example… Read more…

Objective? Why Should I Be Objective?

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Disinterestedness

Objective?

You mean that I can’t hold onto my ulterior motives? I can’t remain partisan? I can’t retain my prejudices? I can’t be self-righteous and pass judgment upon all those who cross my path? The answer is “no:” Plain and simple! When you do these things you stunt your own growth. In our humanity, we are all quick to judge others by how a person looks, speaks and acts. It is very difficult to stay objective and refrain from passing judgment. Yet that is exactly what we are all called to do.

When our actions are based on ulterior motives… Read more…

Virtue of Disinterestedness? What’s That?

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Guardini quote

Disinterestedness is one of the least known virtues. I have to admit, until I had read Father Romano Guardini’s book, Learning the Virtues That Lead You to God, I had never heard of it. So let’s start with a definition. Look in any dictionary and you will find definitions such as an absence of interest; objectivity; unbiased. So how does that make disinterestedness a virtue? Father Romano Guardini shows how:

The more we seek to gain our own ends, the more the other person closes up and is put on the defensive. But the more clearly he perceives that… Read more…

Jesus: Truly Obedient to the Father

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Jesus in Garden

Jesus is the quintessential model for obedience. We see the first example of obedience in Luke 2:49, where we read, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Jesus had an awareness of the Father’s will and was obedient to the calling to discuss scripture with the learned men in the Temple. Yet, on the heels of this statement, in verse 51, we also see that Jesus was obedient to his step-father, St. Joseph and his mother Mary, when once reunited with His parents. Luke tells us, “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them” (Luke 2:51).

We see another example of Jesus’ obedience to the Father in the passages of the Temptation of Jesus… Read more…

Model of Obedience: Our Blessed Mother

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

Blessed_Mother_1

Obedience, what does it really entail? Everyone always wants to know just how much we can get away with before we are deemed disobedient. Instead, how about giving some thought to what it means to truly obey God, with our free will fully exercised? Does that concept sound daunting? Well, Peter Kreeft offers an excellent definition of obedience to God while fully exercising our free will, and this quote gives me hope that I can be obedient to God:

Since our highest freedom means freedom to be ourselves, we are most free when we are most obedient to God’s will,… Read more…

How Obedient are You to Christ’s Teachings?

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

law-of-god

Obedient

Do you cringe when you hear the word? Does simply hearing the word make you assess how obedient you are in this life; whether it be at work, at home, but most importantly in following Christ’s teachings? I think everyone could easily come to the conclusion that when it comes to being obedient, we could all improve.

There is this natural tension within us to want to rebel; to do things our own way, especially in our ever-growing secular, relativistic society. Being obedient requires us to follow certain laws, or rules, set forth by governing bodies. There are four… Read more…

Finding Patience: A Hare’s Testimonial

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

FHC Pic for Cathy

Meet my guest, Cathy Gilmore, a children’s book writer in her own right. Cathy lends her voice to the blog tour in opining about my new book, Adventures of Faith, Hope, and Charity – Finding Patience.

 

Virginia’s story portrays a family in the midst of a move; with the challenges of a new home, new neighbors, and new schools. The refreshing surprise is the way her characters cope. Difficulties are handled with prayer. Children are pictured generously praying for each other, demonstrating trust in Divine providence. Guided by wise, loving parents, the siblings don’t just ask God to fix their problems, they pray for God to bless them with the virtue, in this case… patience; their need for strength in the midst of trial.

Virginia’s way of personifying virtues, … Read more…

Grateful Hearts: Count Your Blessings!

Posted: by Virginia Lieto
Man holding arms up in praise against golden sunset
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Grateful hearts humbly acknowledge that there is a need to be filled, via the talents of others. We consider it a blessing from God when someone steps up to address the need that we couldn’t otherwise fulfill ourselves. We are grateful to God and to our fellow man for rushing to our aid!

What are you grateful for these days? When was the last time you counted your blessings? I can attest from experience that when I count my blessings and express my gratitude to God, my mood improves. I have had many opportunities to do so, while going through… Read more…

Gratitude is Personal and Reverent

Posted: by Virginia Lieto

gratitude3

Gratitude is personal. Here is an example. If a person needs to take a taxi to the doctor’s office, he simply does so. However, if this person were to receive a ride to the doctor’s office by a neighbor or friend, then this person would most likely feel a sense of gratitude. He/she would express gratitude by saying thank you for the kindness expressed. Therefore, for gratitude to exist, two human beings must be involved; one that gives, without expecting anything in return, and one that receives. “…gratitude is the expression of a personal encounter in human need.” 1 For the giver, an act of kindness, or the striving to meet another’s need, must be voluntary. No sense of quid-pro-quo should exist.

Besides being personal and voluntary, Father Romano Guardini offers a third condition for gratitude in Learning the Virtues That Lead You to God: Read more…