Arguing the Case for the Virtuous Life

Recently, Bishop Strickland [Tyler,Texas] issued a pastoral letter upholding “seven basic truths understood by the Church from time immemorial.”  He writes: “The Church exists not to redefine matters of faith but to safeguard the Deposit of Faith as it has been handed down to us from Our Lord Himself through the apostles and saints and martyrs.” These seven truths [a very abbreviated version] serve as an introduction to my article. The link to his pastoral letter is: https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/full-text-bishop-stricklands-pastoral-letter-to-the-faithful-ahead-of-synod-on-synodality/]

The Seven Basic Truths include:

Christ established one Church … 
The Eucharist and all the sacraments are divinely instituted, not developed by man…
The sacrament of Matrimony is instituted by God… 
Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God -  male and female…
Sexual activity outside of marriage is always gravely sinful… 
The belief that all men and women will be saved regardless of how they live their lives is false and dangerous and contradicts … 
In order to follow Christ, we must willingly choose to take up our cross…

The rest of this article is an attempt to add something to his important conversation starter. I believe that the biggest challenge for us believers is to remember these basic truths in our everyday conversations with everyday people — and especially with our children and close family members. And, we parents need his reminder that it is our job to instill these truths in our children. And that’s not an easy task today!

We live in an age that demands positive proof for the things that we say — regardless of the titles we may hold. And, the Deposit of Faith cannot be proven by today’s standards. Faith is a Theological Virtue along with Hope and Charity. That means they are the virtues that come from God Himself. And we received these virtues through our religious faith, the ways and means by which we practice our faith; our faith experiences and the way we live out our sacramental lives in  the Church. Faith, like all of the natural and supernatural virtues, get their start when we are very young. And it keeps growing as parents talk to them about deep things like who is God; and the Trinity; what He does for us, and why He created the world and everything in it. We further instill the seven truths as we talk about and explain the world we live in: why the sky is blue; what’s  the deal with thunder and lightning; when we ponder the depth of God’s imagination as we examine the myriad of types of plants and animals created by Him; and His intellect and love compared to created beings made in his image and likeness. Children’s faith formation must be personal [familial]; and it must continue even when/if our children attend religious education programs and Mass. It’s also paramount that we teach our children the difference between faith-filled understandings of the four Cardinal virtues compared to secular definitions. And parents can’t stop there. We need to instill everyday natural virtues in our children everyday. Without parental involvement and their personal catechesis to the children, these fabulous pastoral letters will ring hollow with our children. Without pastoral letters, many Catholic parents will forget the essence of Faith, Hope and Love. 

Why is virtue training necessary?  Take obedience for example. Children need to be taught what the virtue entails; why authentic obedience matters; how it leads to growth in their knowledge; and why its a cornerstone of authentic love.

If you have any questions about virtue training, please do not hesitate to send me an email or text message. I love to receive questions from readers — it’s why I started Fortifying Families of Faith in 2008. 

Daughters and Sons Forever [https://fortifyingfamiliesoffaith.com/shop/ols/products/daughters-and-sons-forever]; and its companion workbook [https://fortifyingfamiliesoffaith.com/shop/ols/products/daughters-and-sons-forever-workbook] discuss parents’ duties as lay priest, prophet and king. Hopefully, you will find both interesting. 

Journaling  with Sunday Scripture [2024 edition] will be available to order online November 1, 2023]. [https://fortifyingfamiliesoffaith.com/shop/ols/products/journaling-with-sunday-scriptures---a-book-for-all-seasons]. Each Sunday presents a Virtue Challenge for the week. 

Parenting against the tides is more important  than ever. May God bless you with His wisdom and Love as you parent his little/young/maturing children