Virtues: Learning How to Live Wisely and Well
Reflection questions:
- How would you explain what a virtue is and why they matter? Why is it that we cannot “become good at being human” without them?
- How would you explain what a virtue is and why they matter? Why is it that we cannot “become good at being human” without them?
- How would you explain the “cost” of developing vices? What would you see as some of the more destructive vices in persons and societies today?
- Can you think of a time in your life when you really needed the virtue of courage? Why do we tend to think of courage more as perseverance than daring or attack?
Thursday, June 19—“Some Virtues We Should Never Be Without”
- What makes compassion such an essential virtue for becoming “good at being human”? Why do you think Thomas Aquinas said that God is most powerful when God is compassionate and merciful?
- How would you explain why kindness matters? And why might acquiring the virtue of kindness be more difficult than we initially suspect?
- What does it mean to speak of hope as both a gift and a virtue? Why do you think so many people seem to be losing hope? What could you do to help a person regain hope?
Paul Wadell is Professor Emeritus of Theology and Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI. A proud native of Louisville, Kentucky, he received his B.A. from Bellarmine University in Louisville, his M.Div. and M.A. degrees from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and his Ph.D. in Christian Ethics from the University of Notre Dame.
He is the author of several books, including Friendship and the Moral Life; Becoming Friends: Worship, Justice and the Practice of Christian Friendship; Happiness and the Christian Moral Life: An Introduction to Christian Ethics, revised 4th edition; and Living Vocationally—The Journey of the Called Life, co-authored with Charles Pinches. He has published articles on Christian theology, ethics, and spirituality in both scholarly and popular journals.
Paul is an active member of the Passionist Family of Holy Cross Province. Paul and his wife Carmella live in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
