Lesson Three– Virtue and Forgiveness

Focus & Ponder Amish Community In October 2006, the milk truck delivery man who served an Amish community in Pennsylvania went into a school and shot ten girls. Five of them died, and he killed himself as well. It was a terrible tragedy for a close-knit community - one that the whole country mourned. In a remarkable act of love and forgiveness, the grieving Amish families reached out to the wife and children of the murderer. They donated money to help the confused widow and family, as well as offering condolences for their loss. Question for reflection: How could the community have responded, instead of how they did? What would have been the consequences? Would they have been justified in such actions?

Character – those features and attributes that make up our individuality It is shaped by: --Our background --habitual patterns --influence of friends --genetic make-up --religious upbringing Vices – character weaknesses (bad qualities, habits, and patterns of behavior) which incline us to actions that are harmful to ourselves and others Virtues – character strengths (good qualities, habits, and patterns of behavior) which incline us to make good moral decisions – remember Unit 1??? Remember Unit 1 ???

Faith --trusting and believing in God -- a grace given to us by God -- an act of the Church which precedes and makes possible individual faith, supporting and nourishing the faith of all believers -- a human act, a conscious and free act on our part to respond to God’s grace

A virtue of Trust and Responsibility NOT a “wish list” of things that we would like to see happen Things to which we are willing to dedicate ourselves Instead of passivity, hope implies trusting in God and cooperating with His grace Intimately tied to responsibility, is future-oriented and means taking seriously the consequences of our actions Hope

Charity – (LOVE) --the cornerstone of virtues -- NOT “romantic” love -- concern for God, manifested by concern for others above all else -- sometimes considered passive – NOT being loveable, but loving (verb) instead

Prudence – the virtue of making right judgments Justice – the virtue of rights and responsibilities Fortitude – the courage to act Temperance – the virtue of self-control

“Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” Remember… - An anonymous poem quoted by Richard M. Gula, Moral Discernment Yep… you guessed it! Unit 1 again!

One More Thing to Consider…. It is not enough to simply be aware of sin and virtue Jesus showed us through His model, the virtuous life that we should strive to live….however we must not forget that because we are human, we all will sin. Therefore, we must recognize the importance of FORGIVENESS in repairing our relationship with God when we sin!

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” - Mahatma Gandhi Forgiveness is an important step in eliminating the roadblocks that exist in our relationships, including our relationship with God. Without forgiveness, we are out of touch with God and one another. Alienation: a sense of distance and separateness from others, is unsettling and saps our energy. Reconciliation : reuniting and getting back in touch with others A primary function of the Church is to be a community in which forgiveness and reconciliation take place.

Jesus preached the Good News of forgiveness There are many examples from scripture God’s forgiveness is freely given In order to receive it though, we must: – Admit the sin – Be truly sorry for it – Make a real effort to change When we pray the “Our Father”, we are praying that God will forgive our sins as we forgive others’ If we refuse to forgive, we cannot expect God to forgive us!

Reflections on Forgiveness Find the handout titled, “Forgiveness” in the Content Library Follow directions on the handout and complete the reflection questions for 15 homework points. Due Next Class. Post to OneNote in the Homework section of Unit 3 Tab labeled “Forgiveness”