DOCSLIB.ORG

10 Commandments

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
10 Commandments Confirmation Class Guided Notes: Teacher Copy 10 Commandments Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” [Jesus] said to him: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all ​ your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ​ Matthew 22:34-40 What do the Ten Commandments teach us? ● The Ten Commandments show us our need for God’s mercy. ​ ​ ● The Ten Commandments show us how to live a life of love. ​ ​ ● The Ten Commandments show us how to grow in holiness. ​ ​ How can the Ten Commandments be divided? ● Commandments 1-3 > Love God ​ ● Commandments 4-10 > Love Neighbor ​ Love God Commandments 1-3 “I am the Lord thy God, thou shall not 1 > Respect God have any gods before Me.” “Thou shall not take the name of the 2 > Respect God’s name Lord thy God in vain.” “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath 3 > Respect God’s day day.” Love Neighbor Commandments 4-10 4 “Honor thy father and mother.” > Respect Authority 5 “Thou shall not kill.” > Respect Life 6 “Thou shall not commit adultery.” > Respect Marriage 7 “Thou shall not steal.” > Respect Property “Thou shall not bear false witness 8 > Respect Truth against thy neighbor.” “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s 9 > Avoid Lust wife.” “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s 10 > Avoid Greed goods.” 1st Commandment: Respect God “I am the Lord thy God, thou shall not have any gods before Me.” I am the Lord ● God is our Creator - we are his creatures ● Our lives must be lived in submission to God if we are to discover meaning, purpose and happiness in life ● Our highest goal should be to serve God and do His will ​ ​ No other gods before Me ● All forms of idol worship are condemned ● Idol = an object, person, or desire that we value above God ○ In ancient days people would carve wooden statues and pray to it, offer sacrifices, and worship it as a deity ○ In modern times we are more likely to make idols of money, power, popularity, sex/romance, entertainment, possessions ​ ​ You keep this commandment by… ● Humbling yourself before God and acknowledging His authority ​ ● Practicing your faith, trusting in God, and seeking to do His will You break this commandment by… ● Allowing anything in life to become more important to you than God ● Practicing any superstitious activity (astrology, fortune-telling) ● Practicing any false religion or holding beliefs contrary to the faith 2nd Commandment: Respect God’s name “Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” The name of the Lord ● When Moses asked God His name, God said: “I AM” ● The Jewish people have long avoided ever speaking the name of God revealed in the Old Testament (“Yahweh”) ● Any name for God (God, Lord, Father, Jesus Christ, etc.) is deserving ​ ​ of our highest reverence and respect “In vain” ● “In vain” = in the wrong way, in an inappropriate way You keep this commandment by… ● Ensuring that any words you speak about God are made with the highest care and respect ​ ● Showing similar respect for the name of the Virgin Mary and the names of the saints You break this commandment by… ● Using the name of God or Jesus Christ in a careless way, as a sign of ​ ​ anger or surprise, coupled with profanity, etc. ● Saying prayers to God thoughtlessly or without reverence 3rd Commandment: Respect God’s day “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work.” The Sabbath Day ● In the creation account in Genesis, God created the world in six “days” and rested on the seventh (“Sabbath” = rest) ○ Jews celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday (7th day) ○ Christians celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday in honor of Christ’s resurrection - also called the “Lord’s Day” ● The “Sabbath” is a sign of our dependence on God ● On the Sabbath we stop our routine work and turn our attention more ​ ​ fully to God through worship, prayer and rest ● I like to think of it as God requiring us to take one vacation day every week. You keep this commandment by… ● Participating in Mass every Sunday (or Saturday vigil) ​ ​ ● Avoiding unnecessary work on Sunday ● Taking time to rest, enjoy leisure with your family or community You break this commandment by… ● Skipping Mass on Sunday ● Engaging in unnecessary work that keeps you from worship, rest and ​ ​ leisure with your family/community 4th Commandment: Respect Authority “Honor thy father and mother.” Father and Mother ● The commandment recognizes the fact that God has put legitimate authorities in our lives - first and foremost, our parents ​ ● The Christian family (“Domestic Church”) is called to be a community of faith, with parents as the leaders of that community Honor... ● This commandment sets expectations for both parents and children ​ ​ ● Children must be respectful, obedient1, and show gratitude toward their parents for the care that they provide ● Parents must assume the responsibility of caring for their children and leading the family with diligence, love and patience You keep this commandment by… ● Speaking respectfully to your parents (and about your parents) ​ ​ ● Following any instructions given to you by your parents ● Offering the same respect and obedience to any legitimate authority: other family members, teachers, coaches, police, government, etc. You break this commandment by… ● Showing disrespect or disobedience to a person in authority ​ 1 Our obedience to God comes before our obedience to parents. If a parent commanded us to sin, we must refuse (if possible) out of obedience to God. The same is true for any earthly authority. 5th Commandment: Respect Life “Thou shall not kill.” Killing ● Human life is sacred, from the moment of conception to the moment ​ ​ of natural death ● Human life is sacred because we are formed in God’s image, and God is sacred… we derive our infinite worth from God ● The word “kill” refers to the intentional and unjustified taking of another person’s life ● Situations such as legitimate self-defense, protection of others, or accidental (unintentional) death would not apply ● Jesus taught that hating a person is an act of murder, even if you ​ ​ don’t resort to physical violence You keep this commandment by… ● Caring for the health of your own body ● Doing everything in your power to respect and protect the lives of others You break this commandment by… ● Condoning or participating in the unjust killing of a human: murder, ​ ​ abortion, euthanasia, suicide, drug-abuse, unjust war, etc. ● Harboring anger and hatred toward another person in your heart 6th Commandment: Respect Marriage “Thou shall not commit adultery.” Adultery ● God created humans in His own image as “male and female” - equal in personal dignity, yet dependent upon one another ● God designed the two sexes to be physically, morally and spiritually complementary - it is only together that a husband and wife can ​ ​ create the harmony required for a family to thrive ● The sexual union within marriage exists for the good of the spouses and for the transmission of life ● This unique bond between husband and wife is sacred and precious; any abuse of our sexuality breaks this commandment You keep this commandment by… ● Practicing chastity - the virtue of self-mastery in the area of sexuality ​ ​ (a virtue that requires prayer and persistence to acquire!) ● Protecting your own purity and the purity of those around you ● Living faithfully with your spouse, should you become married You break this commandment by… ● Treating others as objects for your sexual gratification ​ ​ ● Engaging in sexual activity outside of a lawful marriage ○ Masturbation, Fornication, Homosexuality, Adultery 7th Commandment: Respect Property “Thou shall not steal.” Stealing ● God gave humanity the responsibility to care for and protect the land and resources of the natural world ● It is lawful for a person to own land or resources as private property; ​ ​ however the goal of ownership must always be the common good ● We have a moral obligation to respect the private property of others ● We violate this commandment through any act of theft or withholding what is rightfully due to another person You keep this commandment by… ● Recognizing and honoring the division of property within society ● Paying workers a fair wage and providing appropriate benefits ● Providing care and assistance to those in poverty ​ ● Caring for the environment and natural resources of the world You break this commandment by… ● Taking the property of others without permission ● Failing to return borrowed property ● Intentionally failing to meet the expectations of an employer ​ ● Misusing or abusing the environment or natural resources which are a common possession of all humanity 8th Commandment: Respect Truth “Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Bearing false witness ● “False witness” = lying ● Respect for the truth is fundamental to our faith; we live in a world ​ ​ where people refuse to believe the truth about God, which is the only source of purpose and happiness in life ● We have a God-given responsibility to speak the truth, live the truth, and share the truth in all aspects of life ● Satan is described as the “father of lies” - to tell lies and live out lies is to align yourself with Satan and to reject God You keep this commandment by… ● Always seeking to communicate the truth in your words and actions ● Developing the virtues of honesty and integrity ● Seeking true wisdom, which is a gift
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Toolbox Project
    the Toolbox project TOOLS FOR LEARNING • TOOLS FOR LIFE Building(children’s(resilience,(self1mastery,(and(empathy(for(others( What%is%Toolbox?% Filling&a&gap&in&today’s&educational&assumptions,&Toolbox,&by& The 12 Tools Dovetail&Learning,&honors&children’s&innate&capacity&for&managing& Breathing Tool their&own&emotional,&social,&and&academic&success&by&g iving&them& Quiet/Safe Place Tool tools&that&empower&them.& Listening Tool Empathy Tool The&Toolbox&curriculum&teaches&12&simple&yet&powerful&“Tools.”&& Personal Space Tool With&practice&and&in&a&classroom&community&that&shares&them,&these& Using Our Words Tool inner&skills&become&important&personal&and&social&proficiencies&for:&& Garbage Can Tool selfEawareness,&selfEmanagement,&healthy&relationships,&and& Taking Time Tool responsible&decisionEmaking.&&The&common&language&and&practices & Please & Thank You Tool of&Toolbox&help&children&quickly&adopt&the&T ools&and&use&them&with& Apology & Forgiveness Tool autonomy,&resilience,&and&selfEmastery. & Patience Tool Courage Tool Toolbox&starts&with&the&individual&child,&building&selfEknowledge&and& selfEtrust;&it&quickly&creates&improvements&in&communication,&civility& and&conflict&resolution&in&the&classroom,&on&the&playground,&and& across&the&whole&school&community.&&Toolbox&is&an&upstream& prevention/intervention&program&that&restores&hope&and&optimism&to& “Of all the programs on the Federal lists, Toolbox is the teachers,&children,&and&their&families. & only one that teaches Academic%and%Life%Success% children about their own Toolbox&is&a&discovery&that&offers&a&coreEsolution&in&education,&
    [Show full text]
  • “So Many Voices”: the Piety of Monica, Mother of Augustine MATTHEW HASTE
    JDFM 4.1 (2013): 6-10 “So many voices”: The Piety of Monica, Mother of Augustine MATTHEW HASTE In The History of St. Monica, Émile often built on hagiographic depictions, are common in Matthew 6 Haste is a PhD Bougaud (1823–1888) introduced the many Catholic biographies of Augustine’s mother. candidate his subject with the lofty claim that At the other end of the spectrum, modern secular in Biblical readers should sing such a biography scholars have examined Monica from seemingly every Spirituality at 1 the Southern rather than read it. Believing Monica angle and yet few have focused on her personal piety. Baptist had possessed “the most beautiful love From Elizabeth Clark’s literary theory study of the Theological Seminary in that perhaps ever existed,” Bougaud “Monica-functions” in Confessions to Anne-Marie Bow- Louisville, Kentucky, where he also serves in Ministry encouraged mothers to look to her ery’s conclusion that Monica provides “the feminine Connections. He previously example and recognize “how divine face of Christ,” many of these works reveal more about served as the Adult is the strength with which God has the presuppositions of the author than Monica.7 Discipleship Pastor of Living endowed them in the interest of their Modern readers of Augustine’s may Hope Baptist Church in Confessions 2 Bowling Green, Kentucky. children’s eternal salvation.” While wonder if there are other options for appreciating this such a statement may sound admi- fourth-century woman. To put it more bluntly, one rable, Bougaud goes on to explain might ask, “What can an evangelical Protestant learn that a mother’s divine strength con- from Monica, the mother of Augustine?” This essay will sists of her ability to bring about her endeavor to answer that question by examining the life children’s salvation through her own and piety of Monica as set forth in Confessions, with steadfast will.3 Bougaud continues, particular reference to her final days recounted in Book “As regards the life of the body, a 9.17–37.
    [Show full text]
  • Virtues and Vices to Luke E
    CATHOLIC CHRISTIANITY THE LUKE E. HART SERIES How Catholics Live Section 4: Virtues and Vices To Luke E. Hart, exemplary evangelizer and Supreme Knight from 1953-64, the Knights of Columbus dedicates this Series with affection and gratitude. The Knights of Columbus presents The Luke E. Hart Series Basic Elements of the Catholic Faith VIRTUES AND VICES PART THREE• SECTION FOUR OF CATHOLIC CHRISTIANITY What does a Catholic believe? How does a Catholic worship? How does a Catholic live? Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Peter Kreeft General Editor Father John A. Farren, O.P. Catholic Information Service Knights of Columbus Supreme Council Nihil obstat: Reverend Alfred McBride, O.Praem. Imprimatur: Bernard Cardinal Law December 19, 2000 The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions or statements expressed. Copyright © 2001-2021 by Knights of Columbus Supreme Council All rights reserved. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America copyright ©1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Scripture quotations contained herein are adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971, and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Courage in the Experience of Patients With
    THE ROLE OF COURAGE IN THE EXPERIENCE OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETES COMPLICATIONS A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Nursing Adelphi University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Patricia Donohue-Porter April, 1987 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ADELPHI UNIVERSITY MARION A. BUCKLEY SCHOOL OF NURSING PATRICIA DONOHUE-PORTER We, the dissertation committee for the above candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, hereby recommend acceptance of the dissertation /Barbara Kos-Munson, Ph.D., R.N. Dissertation Chairperson & Associate Professor Marion A. Buckley School of Nursing Stephen GreenjEielsd/, Ph.D. Professor and' Charbserson Department of Religious Studies Barbara Rottkamp, Ed.D., R.N. Associate Professor Marion A. Buckley School of Nursing This dissertation is accepted by the Marion A. Buckley School of Nursing of Adelphi University. llacquieiine Rose Hott, Ph.D. ,R.N. ,F.A.A.N. Dean, Adelphi University Marion A. Buckley School of Nursing ll Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. (C) Copyright by Patricia Donohue-Porter 1987 All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract The Role of Courage in the Experience of Patients with Diabetes Complications Patricia Donohue-Porter Over ten million Americans have diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic disease with multiple complications. The person with diabetes complications may experience progressive debilitation from such serious conditions as blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage and cardiovascular disease. These complications are progressive and life- threatening, requiring treatments which may be painful, exhausting and often unsuccessful.
    [Show full text]
  • From a Treatise on John by Saint Augustine, Bishop Saint Augustine
    From a treatise on John by Saint Augustine, bishop Saint Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo: (13 November 354 – 28 August 430 AD), was a Roman African, Manichaean, early Christian theologian, doctor of the Church, and Neoplatonic philosopher from Numidia whose writings influenced the development of the Western Church and Western philosophy, and indirectly all of Western Christianity. After exploring many religions and philosophies he became a Catholic in his thirties. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa and is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church for his writings in the Patristic Period. Among his most important works are The City of God, De doctrina Christiana, and Confessions. Two kinds of life The Church recognizes two kinds of life as having been commended to her by God. One is a life of faith, the other a life of vision; one is a life passed on pilgrimage in time, the other in a dwelling place in eternity; one is a life of toil, the other of repose; one is spent on the road, the other in our homeland; one is active, involving labor, the other contemplative, the reward of labor. The first kind of life is symbolized by the apostle Peter, the second by John. All of the first life is lived in this world, and it will come to an end with this world. The second life will be imperfect till the end of this world, but it will have no end in the next world. And so Christ says to Peter: Follow me; but of John he says: If I wish him to remain until I come, what is that to you? Your duty is to follow me.
    [Show full text]
  • “We Do Not Pray to Change Divine Decree, but Only to Obtain What God Has Decided Will Be Obtained Through Prayer.” - St
    “We do not pray to change divine decree, but only to obtain what God has decided will be obtained through prayer.” - St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae Common Catholic Prayers: The Our Father Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. The Hail Mary Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen. The Apostle’s Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen. The Glory Be Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Faith That Works: Greed, Patience, and Justice By
    Faith That Works: Greed, Patience, and Justice By Jason Huff October 4, 2020 Deuteronomy 24:10-15,17-22; 2 Peter 3:8-15; James 5:1-12 Our final Scripture reading today is James 5:1-12. May God add His richest blessing on the reading of His holy, perfect, and sacred Word. “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you. Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered.
    [Show full text]
  • Time for Patience by CHARLES R
    Copyright © 2016 Institute for Faith and Learning at Baylor University 19 Time for Patience BY CHARLES R. PINCHES Christian patience keeps us on the path towards an ever more perfect love, especially when obstacles threaten to knock us off this path, or anger and distractions make us forget where we are going. Here patience gets a quite specific protective charge: it protects us against sorrow. hink of those times when you are tempted especially to become im- patient. Are you driving a car somewhere, perhaps late for an appoint- Tment? Trying to arrange a flight in the airport after your scheduled one has been cancelled? Moving through city streets with a group and some- one is lagging? Impatience very often arises when we have a plan, and are focused on carrying it through—something we are accustomed to doing in Western society where plans are expected and there is no shortage of instruments for effectively carrying them out. Yet this very fact about impatience can make it ironic, even comical. For impatience tricks us into taking unneces- sary risks which can set us far behind wherever we were when we became impatient. Or it causes us to rant and rail furiously against whatever blocks our way. And so it derails us from the very track we wanted so impatiently to travel. Have you ever stood in an airport behind someone who is shout- ing at an attendant because his travel plans have been disrupted? He looks positively silly. Moreover, you know it will do him no good to vent at this airline representative, who appears to be listening serenely but quite possi- bly is becoming impatient herself.
    [Show full text]
  • The Seven Capital Sins and Their Opposite Corresponding Capital Virtues and Extremes
    The Seven Capital Sins and their Opposite Corresponding Capital Virtues and Extremes (N.B.: “The vices are often linked with the Seven Capital Sins.”) (Glossary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church) St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: “Our dear Savior was never in extremes.” (Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. I, p. 1690) Capital Sins Capital Virtues Opposite Extreme (Living too lax) (Living proper and balanced) (Living too rigid) Pride Humility Self-Loathing Greed (Avarice) Generosity Wastefulness Lust Chastity Prudishness Anger Meekness or Patience Servility (First Cousin of Pride) (First Cousin of Self-Loathing) Gluttony Temperance Deficiency Envy Kindness or Brotherly Love Pusillanimity (Cowardice/Timidity) (Second Cousin of Pride) (Second Cousin of Self-Loathing) Sloth or Acedia Diligence Workaholism Example: In regard to the virtue of “Diligence”… St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop, states: “The grace of a good deed is doubled when it is done with promptness and speed.” (Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. II, p. 266) Isaiah 30:21 : “This is the way; walk in it, when you would rather turn to the right or to the left.” Joshua 1:7 : “Above all, be firm and steadfast…. Do not swerve from the Law either to the right or to the left, that you may succeed wherever you go.” St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor: “Lead me to pastures, Lord, and graze there with me. Do not let my heart lean either to the right or to the left, but let your good Spirit guide me along the straight path.” (Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. IV, p. 1214) St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop: “Remove all obstacles and stumbling blocks so that you will be able to go straight along the road to Eternal Life.” (Liturgy of the Hours, Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Virtue: Patience Greed: Virtue
    "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you Week 7 that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed Lust adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV) Pride: Temptation comes from our own desires, which Excessive belief in one’s own abilities. entice us and drag us away. These desires Virtue: Humility give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is Envy: allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. The desire for others’ traits, status, abilities James 1:14-15 (NLT)) or situation. Lust is an inordinate craving for the... Virtue: Kindness Gluttony: • Pleasures of the Body Without An inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires. I have made a solemn promise never to look with lust at a woman. What does Almighty God do to us? How does he repay human Virtue: Self-Control deeds? He sends disaster and ruin to those who do wrong. God Anger: knows everything I do; he sees every step I take. I swear I have A strong feeling of grievance and displeasure. never acted wickedly and never tried to deceive others. Let God Virtue: weigh me on honest scales, and he will see how innocent I am. If I Patience have turned from the right path or let myself be attracted to evil, if Greed: my hands are stained with sin, then let my crops be destroyed, or An overwhelming desire to have more of let others eat the food I grow. If I have been attracted to my something than is actually needed neighbor's wife, and waited, hidden, outside her door, then let my Virtue: Generosity wife cook another man's food and sleep in another man's bed.
    [Show full text]
  • Hard Patience
    Hard Patience In one of his so-called “terrible sonnets,” Gerard Manley Hopkins confronts how very hard it is to ask for patience and to see the world from God’s perspective. Yet patience draws us ever closer to God and to his “delicious kindness.” Prayer Christian Reflection Scripture Reading: Romans 5:3-5 A Series in Faith and Ethics Meditation Patience, hard thing! the hard thing but to pray, But bid for, Patience is! Patience who asks Wants war, wants wounds; weary his time, his tasks; To do without, take tosses, and obey. Focus Article: Rare patience roots in these, and, these away, Hard Patience Nowhere. Natural heart’s ivy Patience masks (Attentive Patience, Our ruins of wrecked past purpose. There she basks pp. 67-75) Purple eyes and seas of liquid leaves all day. Suggested Article: We hear our hearts grate on themselves: it kills The Difficulty and Beauty To bruise them dearer. Yet the rebellious wills of Patience Of us we do bid God bend to him even so. (Attentive Patience, And where is he who more and more distils pp. 76-79) Delicious kindness?—He is patient. Patience fills His crisp combs, and that comes those ways we know. Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) Reflection For many of us, the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to “glory in tribula- tions also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience” (Romans 5:3, KJV) is difficult to understand and even harder to embrace. We know too many people who, when confronted with suffering, succumbed to sadness, anger, and despair. The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins “experienced his share of tribula- What do you think? tions near the end of his life” and struggled with the spiritual dangers they invited, Melinda Creech writes.
    [Show full text]
  • PH 'The Four Cardinal Virtues'
    Notes from a Preceptor’s Handbook A Preceptor: (OED) 1440 A.D. from Latin praeceptor one who instructs, a teacher, a tutor, a mentor Provincial Grand Lodge of Wiltshire Provincial W Bro Michael Lee CBE, PJGD Past Preceptor Stonehenge Lodge No.6114 August 2019 The Four Cardinal Virtues The quite splendid 'Charge after Initiation' offers a new Mason the first hint of the human qualities his brethren prize most highly... 'let Prudence direct you, Temperance chasten you, Fortitude support you and Justice be the guide of all your actions...and maintain those truly Masonic ornaments – Benevolence and Charity'. Those fortunate enough these days to listen regularly to a well-delivered 'First Degree Tracing Board' will recall as the ritualist draws towards its end he leaves with us the thought that: 'Pendant to the corners of the lodge are four tassels, meant to remind us of the four cardinal virtues Temperance, Fortitude, Precedence and Justice... He then adds: 'the characteristics of a good mason are Virtue, Honour and Mercy. May they ever be found in a Freemason's breast.' As Speculative Freemasonry is, first and foremost, a system of morality it perhaps should come as no surprise that virtue, a particular quality of moral excellence, should be prized so highly. It perhaps begs the question though of why just four virtues are considered pre-eminent or 'cardinal' and, from the galaxy of admirable traits available for selection, why those four particular qualities have been chosen. This short paper attempts to address these two questions. History The search for the elements of moral excellence has had a long history, commencing well before our Leaders compiled their joint ritual over 1813-17.
    [Show full text]