The Life of Virtue

In recent weeks, I have been conversing with young adults who are wrapping up their semester studies.  Despite the various institutions they attend and the various majors they have chosen, one common theme has shone itself through these conversations.  In the weeks leading up to final projects and exams, these students are quite tense and full of stress as they realize that they may not have learned all the necessary material in order to pass the test(s) and course(s).  They begin to wonder if they have procrastinated a bit longer than they should have, which elicits extra anxiety.  One young man even said to me, "I've learned how to re-learn an entire semester's material in a single afternoon so that I can pass the exam."  As I listen to these young people talk, I recall my own studies.  I freely admit that I did plenty of procrastinating and last-minute cramming during my college career.  Therefore, I know that procrastination and last-minute crammin...

Yesterday was a glorious day.  The weather was nearly perfect, a delectable afternoon meal was served (and consumed) at table, friends gathered, and I even caught a cat nap while the evening breeze blew in.  Yet, none of these was the most important characteristic of the idyllic day.  No, the reason that yesterday approached such blessed perfection is simple: it was Sunday, the day for communion with the Lord and His people, which leads to rest. In recent weeks and months, I have been very much attuned to the need to keep Sunday sacred.  It is apparent that the enemy, who is still very much alive and lurking in the world, wants to distract God's people from the things that will keep them close to God.  (Believe me, I am first among the group of the distracted.)  The very first thing that he would like us to forget is the covenant day, the day when we pause everything else in our busy lives to commune deeply with the Creator God.  After Satan distract...

The word "religion" is often used in reference to a set of beliefs and worship practices that makes up one part of a broader culture.  At least that's how it's come to be used in the modern world, and it is often used in pejorative sense.  Yet, until the modern age, religion (read "the cult") has been the central and pervading element of culture.  Religion is so integral to culture, not because it is simply a set of beliefs and worship practices that a human being attaches to who she is, but because it is a virtue that allows her to express her full created glory. The virtue of religion is the first virtue related to the cardinal virtue of justice.  Religion is the virtue by which a person is disposed to give to God what is due to His Holy Name.  Thus, the person may remain in right relationship with God.  God is the Creator of humanity and, as such, deserves worship, praise, and happy obedience of lifestyle because of His gift to us.  The good news ...