Moral Life in Christ
Moral Principle of Subsidiarity
Definition: Decision making power and responsibility should reside at the lowest possible level of social organization. Higher levels of social organization should give as much help as necessary to help lower levels perform their tasks, but should not take the power & responsibility away from them. Explanation: Levels of social organization begin with the family,…
Read MoreMoral Principal of Scandal
Definition Leading other people into sin, either by bad example, poor teaching, or the appearance of sin. Explanation Within the human family, and even moreso the Catholic family, we are responsible for one another’s spiritual welfare. Our sins affect every other person in some way. Leading someone to sin is a grave evil because it…
Read MoreThe Virtue of Justice: Legal Justice Beyond Duty to Love
If the virtue of distributive justice gives us a venue for spiritual growth, the virtue of legal justice offers a great opportunity as well. Legal justice is the dimension of the virtue of justice that calls each member of society to do their duties to society.
Read MoreThe Virtue of Justice: Distributive Justice and the Good of Society
It may seem on first glance that commutative justice is the only form of the virtue of justice that would contribute to spiritual growth. But an important part of human life is living as a member of society. And an important part of being a disciple of Christ is to work for the perfection of…
Read MoreThe Virtue of Justice is the Foundation of Relationship
Growth in the virtue of justice begins with our relationships with the people closest to us. It is the constant habit of giving to each person what is owed. Commutative justice is a fancy word for exercising this virtue between individual persons. The simplest form of commutative justice deals with the payment of debts. But…
Read MoreThe Virtue of Justice: Key to Maximum Relationships
The Catholic spiritual life is ultimately about relationships. First is our relationship with God. We strive to cooperate with grace in order to grow toward perfection in our love for the Holy Trinity. Secondly, we are called to love our neighbor, which really means to love our brothers and sisters in the Family of God.…
Read MoreCardinal Virtues: Fortitude – the Courage to Face Evil
The cardinal virtues help us to form our character so that we live a fully human life. Fortitude is the cardinal virtue of standing up for what is right and good even in the face of difficulty or fear. In many ways, fortitude is the battle virtue. It is the part of spiritual growth that…
Read MoreDoes Spiritual Growth Mean Being Poor?
What exactly is the role of money in God’s plan for our spiritual growth? The Second Vatican Council warned us about the growing gap between our faith and our everyday lives. As disciples of Christ, we are called to sanctify every aspect of life for the authentic† development of human life and for the glory…
Read MoreSupernatural Moral Virtues: Fortitude
We saw how spiritual growth will require us to grow in the moral virtues, including the virtue of fortitude to tackle evil in the world. We also saw how the virtue of fortitude can help our spiritual growth by giving us the courage we need to look into our hearts and to change our lives.…
Read MoreSupernatural Temperance and the Joy of Steak
Spiritual growth includes becoming fully human, and that is why we need the virtue of natural temperance. Natural temperance is the virtue of balancing our desires for created goods according to our needs. As a natural virtue, temperance exercises our free will over our physical desires. It, therefore, leads to greater freedom and helps us…
Read More