The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level III 
October 10, 2014 - Level 3
In This Issue
The Virtues
Continued Conversations
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Dear CGS Level III Parent,  
The Good Shepherd

Level III children spent the first couple sessions studying aspects of the "Plan of God" strip. This timeline helps us think about humanity's collaboration, and then our specific collaboration, in working toward the fulfillment of God's Plan at Parousia, the time when "God will be all in all." We refer to the future as "The Blank Page," and we discuss that we are each called to write in the Blank Page.

 

In more recent sessions, we have considered how to write in the Blank Page in a manner that contributes positively to the fulfillment of God's Plan? What helps does God give us to write our Blank Page? One such study is of the Cardinal Virtues. Read below for more.

 

As always, please reach out to your catechists with questions. If your child will be absent from their session, you are encouraged to come to a different day that same week (Sunday, Monday or Tuesday). Our presentations are very interconnected, and consistent attendance is useful to your child's active participation in all our discussions.

 

Peace,

   Lina Hilko, Editor

 

P.S. Reminder: No Atrium on October 12/13/14. 

The Virtues

In Level III, we continuously consider humanity's collaboration with God in building the Kingdom of God. Two key messages should soak into the children as they reflect on the Plan of God strip (timeline) over the years:

  • A plan has always existed in the mind of God to bring all people, all things, all of creation into the full enjoyment of God in a cosmic communion of love.
  • The history of the Kingdom of God has been, and continues to be, written by people all over the world, of all types and all ages.  We are each called to contribute to this history.

We study the Cardinal Virtues because they are personal characteristics that, when practiced and perfected in balance all together, promote individual and societal well-being and harmony. Virtues are "love in action."

 

Our first moment with the Virtues is, at a basic level, just learning vocabulary. Future presentations invite children to identify the practice of particular virtues, or lack thereof, within Bible narratives.

 

We learn that the word "cardinal" comes from a Latin root meaning "hinge." Just as a hinge allows a heavy slab of wood to perform well its intended function as a door, the Cardinal Virtues enable a person to live life to the full as a human being. The four Cardinal Virtues are:

  • Prudence: The virtue that pushes us to act wisely by choosing right paths.
  • Justice: The virtue that pushes us to give to everyone that which is rightfully theirs.
  • Fortitude: The virtue that pushes us to face any difficulty for a just cause, to the point of sacrificing our life.
  • Temperance: The virtue that keeps us from excessive desires or actions.
We learn of other virtues called the "sister virtues." As we read each definition, the children offer examples of this virtue in action or a situation or person which is lacking in the practice of the virtue. As more definitions unfold, children tie examples together and start to prove out that the virtues must be practiced all together to produce harmony. For example, the diligent pursuit of illegal behavior is not virtuous simply because "diligence" is a sister virtue of "fortitude" - the behavior itself is not prudent or just, and thus, cannot be virtuous.

Continued Conversations

The virtues are not every-day vocabulary words for 4th - 6th graders. Thus, it is a big help if parents can become familiar with these words and work them in to situations here and there. The simplest comments, such as, "That wasn't a very prudent choice she made," or "It takes great fortitude to stick up for your friend that way," go a really long way toward reinforcement.

 

On a deeper level, it can be helpful to know that your children have already engaged in some pretty deep discussion about the virtues in action. This opens the door for you using these terms in, say, a deeper discussion at family dinner. I get a glimpse of how much children are exposed to from the examples they raise. On their own, they bring forth violent, graphic video games, terrorism, 9/11, and ISIS. But they also bring forth positive examples of virtue, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. They tie virtues to a very tangible, every-day example of the choice between doing homework and playing video games. They remember that in health class they learned the number of teaspoons of sugar in a serving of low-fat, fruit-flavored yogurt (a lot!). They share school lessons and discussions on the choice between being a "bystander" and an "up-stander" in bullying situations.

 

Our children are receiving and processing so much information. Maybe keeping the virtues in mind gives parents one framework to talk about current events - events we might otherwise have ignored. Sometimes we hope our children just aren't noticing the news - but they are.

 

Please feel free to contact Kate Lynch, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education ([email protected]), or Lina Hilko, newsletter editor ([email protected]), if you have questions or comments about this information.