By JOSEPH J. PLAUD

Special to Catholic Times

As the year 2025 begins, there is little doubt that we will read about in the popular press, or perhaps even pronounce ourselves, attempts to enter the new year by making any number of “New Year’s resolutions” — pronouncements of intentions to improve one or several aspects of our daily lives. Given the popularity of this annual rite of resolution-pronouncements, it makes sense to ask, “What these new or refined virtues are in the first place that we wish or resolve to instill within ourselves as we begin a new year?” And relatedly in the sense of our Catholic faith, how do such virtues interface with human psychology and our daily intentions and interactions in our devotion to Christ?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines virtue as “a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It 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” (CCC 1803). This “habitual and firm disposition” in a Thomistic sense — meaning according to St. Thomas Aquinas — is the fruit of the proper ordering of the powers of the soul. This order moves to ultimate ends such that feeling, thinking, planning, and acting in a morally efficacious way become ingrained into the human psychology in both making decisions and acting (or not acting) upon them.

The Church has articulated and defined, dogmatically in some cases, a number of virtues (e.g., theological, cardinal, capital virtues). While some virtues, such as the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love or charity are infused by the Holy Spirit at baptism, and therefore unmerited, whether freely given by God (the three theological virtues) or merited by humans (the four human virtues), living virtuously is the end game that fuses Thomistic psychology and moral theology.

Pope Benedict XVI noted that “St. Paul speaks of faith that works through love” (cf. Gal 5:14). Paul knows that in the twofold love of God and neighbor, the whole of the law is present and carried out. Thus, in communion with Christ, in a faith that creates charity, the entire Law is fulfilled. So, to make a commitment to one or more New Year’s resolutions that also represent virtuous choices in the new year, the foundation rests on making and acting in virtuous ways; to love God and love your neighbor in real and practical ways.

Here is a practical example from my own life. The infused virtues have indeed strengthened my life as a disciple of Christ. For example, in preparing to receive the sacrament of reconciliation, I made confession that I have not always acted in accordance with the words of Christ in Matthew 25:35-36: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” These acts are the very definition of infused/theological virtues in practice, and I continue to try to do better to evidence such behavior in my own daily life.

Through the Incarnation, Christ by His own example embodied all that a human could accomplish through the divine. The New Law of Grace is how we who follow, we who strive to live in the imitation of Christ, bear the very fruits of our faith. Through our faith in Christ, through our receiving God’s grace, and through our acting in and through charity, the very purpose of the Incarnation itself becomes known time and again to the world. New Year’s resolutions that place us in service to others and to delay our own immediate gratification for the long-term good are the resolutions that find direct foundation and expression in our Catholic faith.

So, here’s to 2025 and to making virtuous choices as the new year begins! This process commences with reflection, prayer, and concrete decision making concerning how to pursue the good and to commit ourselves to feeling, thinking, planning and acting in a morally efficacious manner as we move forward in the new year. Perhaps a good way to start with any New Year’s resolution would be to focus on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord) and the infused and human virtues associated with them. These gifts of the Holy Spirit hold the key to being open to and making cognitive and behavioral changes that may go from being considered a “resolution” to a standard practice as a Christian in 2025 — and far beyond.

This article originally appeared in missiodeicatholic.org, reprinted with permission. Missio Dei was founded by Phillip Hadden, parishioner of St. Alexius in Beardstown