Ancient books about politics spent as much time talking about friendship as about justice. Books written for the training of young rulers, called “mirrors for princes,” used to warn that tyrants have no friends, only sycophants.
I think many of my students consider such warnings odd. What are they doing there?
In the first century, who would have foreseen that two thousand years later Christ would be painted as a moral relativist by yanking his warning against hypocrisy, “Judge not, lest you be judged,” out of context?
This might be called called Twitter exegesis: Read no more than 140 characters of the Gospel at a time.
One might suppose that people live badly only because their thoughts are disordered. Just fix their thinking and they’ll be all right.
The distinction between humans and other creatures is under assault, and I have the greatest trouble suggesting to my students that we are rational beings and beasts are not.
For not without a cause did Life come to death. Not without a cause did the Fountain of life, whence we drink in order that we may live, drink His cup which He was not bound to drink. For death was not Christ’s due portion. As to the question whence death has come, let us look to our origin. Sin is death’s parent. Had there been no sin, no one would have died ....
The pagans knew about temperance, fortitude, justice, and prudence. They didn’t know about faith, hope, and charity.
By themselves, the cardinal virtues might give the ship a nice cruise, but to nowhere in particular. The theological virtues set it on course to its destination.
There has never been but one true Passover, which the Savior celebrated when he hung upon the cross.
