Retreat Goal
The middle school youth will learn more about their Catholic faith and be challenged to grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ through incorporating the theological virtues of faith, hope and love into their own lives.
Retreat Overview
There are many definitions for the word virtue including moral excellence, righteousness and effective force. God expects his children to live virtuous lives and He gives them instruments such as His grace and wisdom to help achieve this lifestyle. The cardinal virtues, intellectual virtues and human virtues are all examples of tools given to us to increase our knowledge, assist in our journey to eternal life, and strengthen our relationship with our Lord and Savior. However, the theological virtues are unique in the sense that they are divine and permanent gifts poured directly into our souls by God.
By recognizing our potential for a virtuous and moral life with the gifts of faith, hope and love, we can begin to live our baptismal call to be disciples of Christ. We can deepen our faith by learning more about our Christian beliefs. We can strengthen our trust by hoping in the power of our savior and we can increase our capacity to love by following the example of the One who sacrificed it all.
Faith, hope and love must coexist as one in our lives and as one in our hearts. That gift is waiting inside every one of us. It is waiting to be opened and applied to our daily lives so we can continue down the virtuous path God calls us to.