St. Thomas Aquinas says: “Praise be to Jesus.”

“Today, on this royal feast day, I have come to expound on the virtuous life. (It is the Feast of the Mother of God.)”

“Every virtue springs from the Heart of God because every virtue is God's Holy and Divine Will. Knowing this, you must understand that the more the soul imitates Divine Mercy and Divine Love, the deeper the virtues in his heart, for Mercy and Love are the essence of the Divine Will.”

“It is like this–God's Divine Will can be likened to the force that pushes water out of a fountain. This force burgeons forth, spraying the water up and out for everyone to see and admire. The water in this analogy, of course, is the virtues. In the virtuous person, all of the virtues are visible for others to see and admire. The fountain, of course, does not look at itself and say, ‘Look at me. I'm so beautiful. I am impressing everyone.' In true virtue, the soul must be just as detached from his spiritual strengths as the water in the fountain, not regarding whom or how much he impresses others. It is false virtue that tries to impress. True virtue springs only from Mercy and Love with a Holy Indifference as to the effect on those around him.”