Virtues in Practice

Saint Teresa sometimes had trouble with self-control, especially with the amount of time she spent reading and talking with friends. As she grew closer to God, she learned to give th right amount of time to Him and to others. When she joined the Carmelite nuns, they had forgotten their rules about how much time they should be in silence so that they could talk to God. She helped them to take time for silence and prayer and to take time to play and have fun together.

Discussion Questions for Families: How did Saint Teresa grow in temperance? What are some ways you can practice balance prayer and play?

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While Camillus was still a boy, he developed bad habits of foul language, meanness, and gambling. He was bright but last, and by the age of twelve, he had quit school so he could spend more time gambling and fighting. At seventeen, he entered the army where he continued his bad habits. After being wounded in battle, he had to take a job: working in the garden of a Franciscan monastery! It was through the compassion of one of the friars that God's grace entered Camillus' heart, and he gave his life to Christ.

Camillus went to Saint James Hospital in Rome where he became both a patient and a caregiver. Now, instead of giving into his sinful desires to gamble, he followed a strict life and practiced many penances. With Saint Phillip Neri as his spiritual guide, Saint Camillus was eventually ordained a priest and founded a religious order: the Congregation of the Servants of the Sick and Poor. They served the physical and spiritual needs of hospital patients. For the rest of his life, Saint Camillus saw the opportunity to serve the sick as an opportunity to serve the Lord.

Discussion Questions for Families: Before his conversion, the life of Saint Camillus was out of balance; his temptations ruled his life. ​What temptations do we allow to outweigh our ​desire to serve God? How can we ​put our lives in right order?

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"Pray daily, fast daily, work daily, and study daily." -Saint Columbanus

It was upon this quote that Matt sought to model his life. Matt Talbot was a small but strong man who overcame alcoholism by prayer, penance, and the virtue of temperance. 

Mass was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1856. His mother and father had twelve children and worked very hard. Matt's father took jobs wherever he could, and the family often had to move. In those days, school was not mandatory in Ireland. Matt did not like to go to school, so he instead chose to find work.

One of his first jobs was at a wine bottling store. It was not unusual for a company to pay its employees every week at the local pub. It was also customary that the pub owner require that some of that pay be spent on alcohol at the pub! Matt soon began drinking heavily after work. He and his friends would often drink more than they could afford. Matt turned begging or stealing from passersby if it would help him get the money to buy alcohol. His mother prayed constantly for her son to quit drinking, but his habit continued for many years. One day while waiting outside a pub for them to arrive, Matt was ignored by his friends. They had lost all respect for him, and his was the point at which he lost respect for himself.

He went home to his mother, who had never given up on him, and told her he was ready to "take the Pledge", meaning he was ready to quit drinking. He pledged to stop for three months. Although it was very difficult, he did it! He took another pledge at the end of the three months to go six months without drinking. Little by little, he increased his pledge until he promised to never touch alcohol again.

From that point on, Matt's devotion to his Catholic faith grew. He worked hard to repay any money he owed to pub owners or others from whom he had stolen. He spent the rest of his life working for the greater glory of God. He took care of his mother when she was old. He prayed for much of each day and did penance. He slept in a small bedroom on a hard plank wood bed with a wood-block pillow. He was generous to others and gave money to charitable causes, even though he did not have extra money. He read many books about the life of the saints and referred to them as his friends. He was often seen praying or going in or out of church. He sometimes went to Mass several times a day and went to weekly Confession.

It was while ehe was on his way to church on Trinity Sunday in 1925 that Matt died of heart failure. He was declared venerable in 1973. He is the patron saint of alcoholics and addicts. Today, there are Matt Talbot houses around the world that rescue and treat people with addictions.

"Three things I cannot escape: the eye of God, the voice of conscience, the stoke of death. In company, guard your tongue. In your family, guard your temper. When alone, guard people with addictions." Ven. Matt Talbot

Discussion Questions for Families: Why do you think Matt Talbot turned to alcoholism? How could Matt have practiced temperance in his early life? How did he become more temperate as an adult? Why is Matt Talbot a model of temperance? How is the virtue of temperance related to hope?