10 Putting on the Heart of Christ
or patient or compassionate by the way they habitually behave. Their actions reveal who they are. At the same time, how we act shapes the habits and dispositions we develop. We become a virtuous person by performing virtuous actions. Our being is formed through our doing, just as our being informs our doing. Virtues are not simply dispositions. They are ways of behaving. We engage in repeated actions that form certain habits that in turn lead to further actions. When we have a regular practice of daily prayer, we become a prayerful person apt to find time to pray each day. When we regularly give thanks for gifts received, we become a grateful person apt to recognize the giftedness of all things. Parents teach their children to say “Thank you” in hopes they will become grateful people. All human actions are moral actions. These actions effect the kind of people we become. Joseph Kotva makes five generalizations about virtues that are helpful for appreciating the role of virtues in our lives.10 Virtues are related to the human good. Virtues are “those states of character that enable or contribute to the realization of the human good.” Virtues encompass the whole range of human activity. They engage not only the rational part of the human person, but also the affective and desiring part of the person. Virtues are especially related to tendencies to react in expected ways. They are dispositions to strive for particular ends and actions. They “include all those states of character or character traits that influence how we act and choose.” Virtues are products of moral education and growth. They remain stable aspects of our character that provide continuity in our actions.