I'll be adding content here in Winter 2026 describing how God wants us to live. Hint: He loves us more than we can imagine, but He wants us to avoid sin.
Ethics - The rules communities create so we can live and work together without chaos; it is collective. The systematic study of moral principles, values, and conduct that define what is right, wrong, and good, functioning as a guiding philosophy for individuals or groups. It addresses dilemmas, establishes rules for behavior, and focuses on duties, rights, and character.
Morality - Our inner judge; it is personal. An individual's or society’s personal standards, beliefs, and principles regarding right and wrong conduct. They function as a guide for behavior.
Principle - A comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption that serves as the foundation for belief, behavior, or systems. The rules we choose to live by. Principles are more concrete than values.
Values - Fundamental, long-lasting beliefs and principles that guide an individual's or group's behavior, judgments, and decisions about what is important, desirable, or "right" in life. They function as a personal compass, shaping actions and priorities. Examples include honesty, integrity, freedom, and responsibility. What truly matters to us.
Virtue - A habitual and firm disposition to do good. It is not just a one-time act, but a firm, repeated habit. Who we become when values shape our actions. The qualities we develop by making daily choices.
Belief - The mental acceptance of an idea, proposition, or premise as true, real, or existent, often held regardless of whether absolute proof or evidence is present. It represents a personal conviction or cognitive attitude toward something, ranging from empirical facts to matters of faith. It is the lens through which we see everything.
Character - The mental, moral, and ethical qualities distinctive to an individual, often signifying integrity, reputation, or a specific, memorable personality.
Charity: The theological virtue given to us by God that allows us to love God above all things and to love ourselves and our neighbors rightly for his sake. It is the queen and lifegiving principle of all virtues. The Catechism lists many fruits of charity: “Joy, peace, and mercy … it is benevolence; it fosters reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and communion” (CCC #1829). Opposing vices: hatred, sloth, envy, discord, quarreling, objectifying others.
Chastity: A fruit of the Holy Spirit and a form of temperance; it guides the proper use of the sexual appetite according to one’s state in life. Opposing vice: lust (the other extreme: prudishness).
Counsel: The Gift of the Holy Spirit that makes us docile and receptive to God’s counsel about our actions.
Diligence: Strengthens in us a persistent and constant effort to accomplish what we have set out to do.
Eutrapelia: The virtue of cheerful pleasantness that keeps the soul from becoming overburdened and weary.
Faith: The theological virtue that allows us to believe in God and his divinely revealed truths. Even though we cannot see or wrap our minds around some mysteries that God has revealed, we can trust that they are true on the basis of God’s authority. St. Paul writes that “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Opposing vice: heresy, doubt, disbelief.
Faithfulness: A fruit of the Holy Spirit by which we steadfastly adhere to our commitments. Opposing vices: disloyalty, treachery.
Fear of the Lord: The gift of the Holy Spirit that helps us to avoid sin because we dread offending God. Scripture says that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Opposing vice: irreverence.
Fortitude: Both a cardinal virtue and a gift of the Holy Spirit. It strengthens us to undertake difficult tasks, face dangers, and endure suffering with strength. Courage and endurance are related virtues. Opposing vices: fear (the other extreme: fearless audacity), cowardice.
Generosity: A fruit of the Holy Spirit that allows us to give and share with kind abundance. Opposing vices: stinginess, wastefulness.
Gentleness: A fruit of the Holy Spirit that grants us deeper sensitivity towards other persons. Opposing vice: quarrelsomeness.
Goodness: A fruit of the Holy Spirit that allows us to wish blessing and prosperity upon our neighbor.
Gratitude: Our response to the value of God’s gifts to us and the benefits we receive from others. Opposing vice: selfishness.
Hope: “the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1817). Opposing vices: fear, despair, presumption.
Humility: Helps us to recognize God’s gifts and use them according to his will. It reminds us that everything we have comes from him and we depend on him entirely. Opposing vice: pride (the opposite extreme: self-loathing).
Joy: A fruit of the Holy Spirit that helps us delight in attaining what is good for our souls.
Justice: The cardinal virtue of giving to another person what is due to them. Opposing vice: dishonesty.
Kindness: A fruit of the Holy Spirit that assists us in treating others with sweetness and warmth. Opposing vices: animosity, meanness, indifference, selfishness.
Knowledge: The gift of the Holy Spirit that assists us in knowing what is of God so that we can order our priorities accordingly.
Loyalty: Keeps us faithful to our beliefs, commitments, and obligations. Opposing vices: sloth, workaholism (other extreme).
Obedience: Permits us to carry out our tasks with readiness, facility, and joy. We are called to obey lawful superiors but must also obey God through faithfulness to his will and to his moral commands. As the prophet Samuel says in the Old Testament, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Opposing vices: disobedience, defiance.
Magnanimity: The determination to aim for true excellence in the highest things. It is a greatness of soul, guided by humility, that helps us to reach the heights of holiness.
Mercy: The compassion that we feel for the miseries and difficulties of others so that we can assist them. The 7 Corporal Works of Mercy designate ways we can help others in material ways, whereas through the 7 Spiritual Works of Mercy, we can minister to their souls. Opposing vice: selfishness, malevolence, meanness, mercilessness.
Modesty: A fruit of the Holy Spirit that keeps us from giving into excesses. As an important facet of purity, it respects the dignity of other persons and safeguards chastity.
Patience: A fruit of the Holy Spirit that allows us to remain cheerfully undisturbed even amid obstacles and difficulties. Opposing vice: anger.
Peace: A fruit of the spirit that grants us inner tranquility and fosters harmony between persons. Opposing vice: discord, hatred.
Perseverance: Permits us to make a steadfast, continued effort to achieve something in spite of opposition.
Piety: Directs our love and respect for what is holy, particularly how we give filial worship to God as our loving heavenly Father. Piety is also known as religion or devotion.
Prudence: Tells us what to do, where to do it, why to do it, and what the consequences are. It perfects our intellect, assisting our ability to reason well. It stands at the head of all the natural virtues and orders all of them. Aspects of prudence include purity of intention, balance, foresight, and discernment. Opposing vices: negligence, inconstancy.
Self-control or Temperance: Helps us to moderate our desires, especially in what appeals to our senses. Particular areas of temperance include abstinence, sobriety, and chastity. Opposing vice: gluttony, greed, drunkenness, lust (the opposite extreme: wastefulness).
Truthfulness: A form of justice and means speaking genuine things and communicating what is fitting in the time and manner that is fitting.
Understanding: Grants us deeper insight into the truths of our faith.
Wisdom: Judges and orders all things in accordance with what God teaches.
Zeal: Charity in action: it sets us ablaze for God, his truth, and the salvation of souls. Opposing vices: acedia, apathy, complacency, lukewarmness.