Thank you Father!

God bless! Dear Seraphim, the vices, which are associated with passion, must be transformed through repentance. This means, as you know, there is a relationship between vice and virtue. It is not always easy to pull them apart. St. Theodore of Sanaxar calls the transformed vices, or virtues "good works" and these virtues are often called "practical", meaning that they must be acquired through labor and can be perfected through practice. The word "ambition" means a strong desire to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. But it sometimes carries a negative sense. Someone may be accused of being ambitious when it is believed he pursues his goal unethically. St. Ignaty Brianchaninov said, "where there is heat there is passion." So, our ambition should be worked out without the sins which cloud our judgment and derail our efforts. Conversely, we speak of the fervor, or "heat" of the faith and the "warmth" of the presence of the Holy Spirit. And we learn from the scriptures how we should "work out" our salvation, to "reach forth" and "press" toward the prize. This movement has behind it God-befitting ambition. I hope this help!

Father bless, is ambition a virtue, a vice, or both?