Notes on 6th Grade Catechism

I was watching Sunday Night with Fr. Benedict Groeschel on EWTN & pondering what approach I will take toward presenting the Faith to my 6th graders this year. This meditation settled on me.

The Gospel calls us to a life of utmost joy in the Spirit of God. It calls us to achieve our ultimate fulfillment by contemplating & striving towards union with God. The call of the Gospel is a truly radical one – it calls us to truly be whom we are meant to be: “Man fully alive.” I know there are people who believe that man is nothing than an animal that lives a short, brutal life, & then finally dies; but I genuinely believe the vast majority of people recognize, but are scared to death of this call to such inconceivable glory, & so settle for a lower, more earthly calling which seems more graspable, both in thought & reality.

The world today calls us to a life of conformity & consumerism, to be consumed by the things that we are assured we must have if we want to be happy. Yet isn’t there always a new thing to have? So this happiness is always a step beyond us. The world wants to force you into certain channels, certain mindsets, & certain lifestyles where it neutralize your will & freedom, & drain you of your humanity & your money. In the world we engage in projects that, while possibly good in themselves & can bring temporal success, are easily turned into idols that consume us & draw us away from the only thing that ultimately matters, our immortal souls’ communion with God.

I know this is not said well & that there is much more to say, but I want to teach this to my students in some way. Through the grace of God, I just barely escaped the jaws of the world, & I’m not out of the woods yet. I hope they will not fall for false & destructive happinesses, but recognize & cling to the happiness of God for their whole lives.

The Virtues

I confess to being a huge fan of Fr. Groeschel. His book The Virtue Driven Life has really helped to smooth out some wild & rough ground in my soul. When I was given the opportunity to lead the opening activity for the Youth Group a few weeks back, I wondered exactly what I should do. Out of the blue, I heard Fr. Groeschel's scratchy, insistent voice in my mind saying, "Teach the virtues!" So I did.

With the help of the other teachers, we presented the 4 cardinal or moral "human" virtues & also the 3 great sources of temptation for man - the world, the flesh, & the devil - in a situational, role-playing exercise. Below is a summary of the material I presented to the kids on the 4 cardinal virtues. Note that Fr. Groeschel makes an important distinction between a natural virtue & its supernatural counterpart. I think we could all use a refresher course in this from time to time. Numbers in italics are Catechism references. My apologies if the fomatting looks a little wonked.

“To live well is nothing other than to love God with all one’s heart, with all one’s soul, & with all one’s efforts; from this it comes about that love is kept whole & uncorrupted (Temperance); no misfortune can disturb it (Fortitude); it obeys only God (Justice); & is careful in discerning things, so as not to be surprised by deceit or trickery (Prudence).” - St. Augustine

Q. What are Virtues?

Virtues are habitual & firm dispositions to do the good. Moral virtues – Prudence, Justice, Temperance, & Fortitude – are acquired through human effort, helped by God’s grace. The theological virtues – Faith, Hope, & Love – are gifts from God. The virtuous person strives toward the good with all his bodily & spiritual powers, becoming in the process the best person he can be. He pursues the good & chooses it in concrete actions. The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God. 1803

Q. What is opposite of virtue?

Vices are habits acquired by repeated sin in violation of the norms of human morality. Vices are often linked to the Capital Sins. Repentance for sin & confession may restore grace to the soul, but removal of the tendency to sin or vice requires much effort & self-denial until the contrary virtue is acquired. Vice & virtue are rooted in man’s freedom: his exercise of intellect, affections, & will. They are not only the actions we do, but the desires we carry in our souls. 1866

Q. So if Virtue is related to Freedom, what is Freedom?

Freedom is the power to choose good or evil, though strickly speaking, there is no true freedom except in the sevice of what is good & just. Choosing good builds man up, makes him freer. Choosing evil is self-destructive, clouds the mind, emotions, & will. Choosing evil takes away man’s freedom & leads him to the slavery of sin. 1733

Q. Are all virtues the same?

No, the Theological are higher than the Moral, or Cardinal, virtues. Also, virtues can be considered as either natural or supernatural. Many people of other religious beliefs - or even no belief at all - have all kinds of naturally good qualities. However, in the light of Christ & in the power of the Spirit, the supernatural virtues always have the desire to please God & to do his will as their primary motive. This drive is simply another name for holiness. 1812

"Seek first the Kingdom of God & his righteousness, & all these things shall be yours as well." - Matthew 6:33

Prudence is using our power of reason to discern the good in every circumstance & choose the right means to achieve it. St. Thomas says it is “right reason in action.” Prudence guides the other virtues & directs our consciences. 1806

Natural prudence helps us order our lives toward security & happiness. Supernatural Prudence helps us & others to obtain eternal life & everlasting joy.

"To everyone who has more will be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away." – Matthew 25:29

Justice is the firm resolve to give what’s due to God & neighbor. Justice toward God is called religion. Justice toward neighbor respects their innate dignity & seeks to build a fair & peaceful society with regard to each person & the common good. 1807

Natural justice calls us to be fair & honest in our relations with others by following the natural law written on men’s hearts & the rules of decent behavior. Supernatural Justice seeks to realize the equal dignity of every human being out of love for Jesus, especially in caring for poor & disregarded, because he, too, was poor & despised.

"You cannot serve both God & mammon." – Matthew 6:24

Temperance moderates our desires for pleasure, directs our appetites towards what is good, & provides balance in the use of the goods of creation, which is mankind’s common inheritance. 1809

Natural temperance helps us to avoid indulging in things harmful to ourselves & contribute to our legitimate goals in life. Supernatural Temperance helps us to be good & grateful stewards of the wonderful gifts of the Creator. It means using the good things of this world wisely & well for our sanctification & that of others. We cannot choose Jesus Christ & his Kingdom if we overly value the things of this world; our treasure & destination lie elsewhere.

"In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

Fortitude ensures firmness in difficulties & constancy in pursuing the good; by fortitude we are strengthened against temptations & overcome obstacles in the moral life. Fortitude keeps us strong & sure to the end. It is not caving in our convictions when the situation becomes difficult or painful. 1808

Natural fortitude may be called courage; but Supernatural Fortitude keeps us vigilant & stout-hearted in our spiritual warfare, whether in heroic acts of love or in the struggles of daily life, keeping before us always the goal of eternal life in Christ.

Inexhaustible

I have read the Gospels a thousand times, but every time I read them I find something new, because it is the Truth itself that is speaking to me.

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- a paraphrase of Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.

Book Review: The Virtue Driven Life

by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R. (Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Indiana, 2006.)

Virtue is a lost word today. I presume this is mostly because it arose out of the Christian milieu, but simply has no place to mean anything in a post-modern society, unless it is used disparagingly as an insult.

So, while I was buying a copy of one of Fr. Benedict Groeschel’s TV shows on the EWTN website, I wanted to add a couple of things to spread out the shipping charge; so I bought one of Father’s books called The Virtue Driven Life. The title intrigued me, since the study of the virtues is important to me both personally & as a religion teacher trying to impart such things to the kids in my care.

The book, obviously, concerns the Christian virtues: the moral virtues of Prudence, Temperance, Justice, & Fortitude, as well as the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, & Charity.

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Fr. Benedict makes a very important distinction that I’ve never heard made, but now, looking back, seems readily apparent. After discussing the natural traits we find admirable in others, he comments:

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“There are all kinds of good qualities that can be raised to the order of the supernatural, like justice & kindness. However, the supernatural virtues always include as their first motive the desire to please God & to do his will (p.21)”

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He goes on to explain that all people have the tendency toward the natural moral virtues (which tend toward the safety, comfort, pleasure, etc. of the individual & their loved ones), but not everyone has the supernatural moral virtues (which tend toward pleasing God & getting the individual & others to heaven). One can get up early to go to work as a natural virtue, but one who gets up early to pray is exercising supernatural virtue, even though it will likely not been seen as a virtue by those who do not have the supernatural gift.

The theological virtues have no natural counterpart, but are purely gifts from God. Fr. Benedict gives the catechism definition of each virtue, then expounds on it using examples from the history of the development of psychology (his field), from history – especially of the 20th century, & from his personal experience – which is quite vast.

He contrasts the natural virtue of religion with the supernatural virtue of Faith, & examines the phenomena of American religiosity which flounders somewhere in the middle.

He treats the virtue of hope by presenting & expounding on large passages from another great book by another great writer: Crossing the Threshold of Hope by Pope John Paul II, which was written as responses to questions about faith - or lack of it - in the modern world.

To introduce the virtue of charity (from Latin caritas), he starts with the 4 Greek words meaning "love": eros, storge, philia, & agape. He notes each in their classically understood sense, then explores how this works out in the world today. In this chapter, he references what I (& apparently Fr. Groeschel, too) believe to be one of the most important writings of our era: Deus Caritas Est by Pope Benedict XVI.

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There are various scripture passages scattered throughout, copious endnotes, & deeply profound prayers at the end of each chapter. The book ends with appendices with Excerpts for Meditation on the Sermon on the Mount & prayers for virtue by St. Augustine. Despite being a wonderful study of the Christian virtues, this book can also be used as a meditation or prayer book. This book is certainly a winner; I've no doubt that it will change many peoples lives & bring them further along their journey to God.

As a personal note, I have been praying long & hard for discernment in certain matters, & I'm sure God has guided to this book to me as an answer. At least, Faith tells me so.

H.E. Rating: 4-1/2 Shakes