Objective:
The goal of this session is to discuss living a life of virtue, one of the main themes in the writings of St. Paul. The middle school youth will come to see how they must live lives rooted in faith, hope and most especially, love to become effective evangelists.
Overview:
The writings of St. Paul compose almost half of the New Testament and within them we can find great wisdom and many insights into what it takes to live the life of a Christian. One main theme from the writings of St. Paul is the importance of living a life of virtue. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which includes a verse from the writings of St. Paul to the Philippians, defines a virtue as the following:
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions. The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God (1803).