Fulton Sheen claims that since all seven deadly sins led Christ’s enemies to nail Him to the Cross, you and I can find in the example of His suffering and death on the Cross sure means to overcome each one of those sins, plus we can find there the key to understanding — and to nurturing in our own souls — each corresponding virtue.

So, for example, in these pages filled with wisdom and hope, Archbishop Sheen teaches us not only how to conquer our gluttony; he shows us how to satisfy our spiritual hunger. We learn not merely how to overcome pride; we discover what we must do to grow humble. From Christ’s holy response to each of the seven deadly sins that led to His Crucifixion, Archbishop Sheen draws a lesson in how you and I must deal with those same sins, whether we encounter them in others or in ourselves.

Day after day, Christians struggle hard to do good, to avoid evil, and to take up with patience and love the many crosses — small and large — that threaten to overwhelm and sometimes even to crush them. For those of us who are still more acquainted with sin than with sanctity, Fulton Sheen’s revelation of the light that vice sheds on virtue affords a sure way to understand virtue better, and a remarkably effective means to attain it.

One thing is certain: if you abide by the holy counsel in these pages, enduring virtue will soon be yours. You will have achieved your own long-sought-after victory over vice.