How Catholics Should Connect with Others

There’s justice and prudence and temperance and fortitude, faith,
and hope, and love. But do you recall the social virtues at all?
Thankfulness and affability are some social virtues that show us
how Catholics should connect with others in social situations.
Thankfulness is the social virtue by which we acknowledge people
and their generosity. It’s not just a customary expression of
thanks when someone does something nice. It means going out of your
way to show people your gratitude for them going out of their way
for you. Affability is another word for approachability. It means
you’re free to talk and free to help. You don’t mind people
knocking on your door to tell you something. It is another social
virtue that makes us put others before ourselves. Being introverted
is not an excuse to avoid these virtues. An introverted person can
most certainly have a heart focused on other people, and that is
what’s at the heart of the social virtues. You may think these
virtues aren’t as important as the others since they are not so
explicitly mentioned in Scripture. In fact they are. Remember the
parable of the lepers in Luke 17:11-19. Jesus heals ten lepers, and
only one returns to thank him. Jesus asks, “Where are the other
nine?” Likewise, Jesus regularly healed those who approached him
out of the blue, showing affability. Jesus showed the social
virtues, and so should we.