{"id":101048,"date":"2025-03-31T00:54:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T00:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vidasantidadyorden.com\/?p=101048"},"modified":"2025-03-31T23:30:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T23:30:14","slug":"virtue-is-in-the-struggle-not-in-the-reward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vidasantidadyorden.com\/en\/virtue-is-in-the-struggle-not-in-the-reward\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtue is in the struggle, not in the reward."},"content":{"rendered":"

Finding God along the way is often a true challenge, but when you achieve it, the gratification is unparalleled. Today, on this blog, I would like to tell you how we can find God on our path by developing the necessary virtues to reach holiness.<\/p>\n

When we say that virtue is in the struggle and not in the reward, we mean that when we make the decision to follow God\u2019s path, we will always face obstacles that will invite us to give up through fear, distractions, temptations, and even sometimes the people around us may suggest returning to old ways. This doesn\u2019t mean that the people are bad, but rather that they simply lack the faith to follow the same path as us.<\/p>\n

But why, if God wants us all to be saved and reach Heaven, does He allow these temptations that sometimes seem too big to overcome or hard to resist?<\/p>\n

Well, the answer is that God allows these temptations precisely because He wants our soul to respond to His call with greater determination, that we demonstrate courage, strength, and true love for Him. We must keep in mind that all these obstacles on the road help us grow, mature, and also discern between what we want and what God expects from us.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to note that tests don\u2019t just come from the outside, since our own human weakness allows us to be attacked by our thoughts and feelings. We may feel insecure about continuing on the path, and we may doubt.<\/p>\n

From this point of view, it might seem almost impossible to achieve holiness, but we must remember that we have a wonderful resource that never abandons us\u2014a powerful tool that we can use anywhere, at any time, and that tool is \u201cprayer.\u201d Here, it\u2019s important to make a distinction that might sometimes confuse us. In Spanish, Catholics use two different words for praying \u201cRezar and Orar\u201d What\u2019s the difference between “Rezar” and “Orar” ? Well, \u201crezar\u201d refers to the verbal or mental recitation of prayers that have already been written, such as prayers to saints, offerings of works, ejaculations, chaplets, etc., while \u201corar\u2019 refers to that fraternal and loving conversation we have with God, which helps us be illuminated and filled with the Holy Spirit. It is through \u201corar\u201d that we achieve full communication with God; it\u2019s our direct phone line, and it is during \u201corar\u201d that we can better understand the situations happening in our lives that may be affecting us.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, we can turn to people who can offer us a fraternal chat that guides us along God\u2019s path. We can seek spiritual direction from a priest, understanding very well that the call comes from God, and we must have an open heart to receive it.<\/p>\n

In this sense, we must be aware that the one who gave us the vocation will also give us the means to follow it, as we should not focus on ourselves and our weaknesses but understand that on the path, God gives us the strength to continue advancing, and the closer we get, the steeper the road becomes.<\/p>\n

What can we expect when we decide to open our hearts and souls and say “yes” to God?<\/p>\n

God takes care of cleansing the soul of those who love Him.<\/p>\n