Nazarene virtue: Loyalty

The Virtue of Loyalty has a lot to do with a person’s constancy, and fidelity to their word, to their consecration, marriage, and friendship etc… Well-placed loyalty survives difficulties. It endures setbacks, resists temptation, and does not cave into attacks. Loyalty engenders trust and preserves friendships.

The love, loyalty of Jesus, Mary and Joseph are the example for all the Christians. The Love of Jesus, the silence of Joseph and the example of Mary who kept all things in her heart, causes us to enter into the mystery full of faith and humanity of the Holy Family. Joseph remained loyal to Mary his wife. Mary remained loyal to her son and stood with him at the foot of the cross. And Jesus remained loyal the will of God. Sometimes when we are confronted with the cross we want to fight back or run away, but Holy Family teaches us to embrace whatever challenge is before us with unconditional trust in God who always leads us to life.

Loyalty is about being faithful to the Catholic Church, being faithful to God, being faithful to one’s vocation, being faithful to family, not losing one’s loyalty when it means you will suffer because of it. I will follow Jesus even when others do not. Jesus says that you prove your loyalty in the little things – keeping your word, arriving on time, being there for people. loyalty renews our strength and restores our faith in humankind. 

True loyalty is not being with the promise you made when you pronounced your vows, in your marriage. It is not being together but more over it is loving. Living without love for the people, work you do, it is not loyalty. Loyalty is to love and to be loved. Loyalty is like an eternal flame. Once enkindled by love, it cannot be extinguished.