"Life in Christ" from the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

This covers part 3 of the Compendium (summary).

• http://sites.google.com/site/catholiclifetimereadingplan/file-cabinet/Life_in_Christ_compendium.pdf [A4 paper, 15 pages]
  

Numbered references after each paragraph point to paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Example: 423. What is the grace that justifies? (1996-1998 2005 2021)

This refers to paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

• 1996-1998
• 2005
  
• 2021

From that point, there should be plenty of references and footnotes to Scripture, etc.

Summary of the "Life in Christ":

Man's Vocation: Life in the Spirit
The Dignity of the Human Person
Man: the Image of God
Our Vocation to Beatitude
Man's Freedom
The Morality of the Passions
The Moral Conscience
The Virtues
Sin
The Human Community
The Person and Society
Participation in Social Life
Social Justice
God's Salvation: Law and Grace
The Moral Law
Grace and Justification
The Church: Mother and Teacher
The Ten Commandments
“You Shall Love the Lord Your God With All Your Heart, With All Your Soul, and With All Your Mind”
I am the Lord your God, you shall not have other gods before me
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
Remember to keep holy the Lord's day
“You Shall Love Your Neighbour as Yourself”
Honor your father and your mother
You shall not kill
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
You shall not covet your neighbor's possessions

"Christian Prayer" from the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

This covers part 4 of the Compendium (summary). The first 5-6 pages are the most important. The rest is mostly a reference or index of common formal prayers. This includes a few small pictures.

• http://sites.google.com/site/catholiclifetimereadingplan/file-cabinet/Christian_Prayer_compendium.pdf [A4 paper, 12 pages]
  

Numbered references after each paragraph point to paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Example: 541. From whom did Jesus learn how to pray? (2599 2620)

Jesus, with his human heart, learned how to pray from his mother and from the Jewish tradition. But his prayer sprang from a more secret source because he is the eternal Son of God who in his holy humanity offers his perfect filial prayer to his Father.

This refers to paragraphs 2599 and 2620 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2599 The Son of God who became Son of the Virgin also learned to pray according to his human heart. He learns the formulas of prayer from his mother, who kept in her heart and meditated upon all the "great things" done by the Almighty. ⁴¹ He learns to pray in the words and rhythms of the prayer of his people, in the synagogue at Nazareth and the Temple at Jerusalem. But his prayer springs from an otherwise secret source, as he intimates at the age of twelve: "I must be in my Father's house." ⁴² Here the newness of prayer in the fullness of time begins to be revealed: his filial prayer, which the Father awaits from his children, is finally going to be lived out by the only Son in his humanity, with and for men.

2620 Jesus' filial prayer is the perfect model of prayer in the New Testament. Often done in solitude and in secret, the prayer of Jesus involves a loving adherence to the will of the Father even to the Cross and an absolute confidence in being heard.

The Virtues

1803 "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." ⁶² A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.

The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God. ⁶³

THE HUMAN VIRTUES

1804 Human virtues are firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. The virtuous man is he who freely practices the good. The moral virtues are acquired by human effort. They are the fruit and seed of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being for communion with divine love.

The cardinal virtues

1805 Four virtues play a pivotal role and accordingly are called "cardinal"; all the others are grouped around them. They are: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. "If anyone loves righteousness, [Wisdom's] labors are virtues; for she teaches temperance and prudence, justice, and courage." ⁶⁴ These virtues are praised under other names in many passages of Scripture. 1806 Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it; "the prudent man looks where he is going." ⁶⁵ "Keep sane and sober for your prayers." ⁶⁶ Prudence is "right reason in action," writes St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle. ⁶⁷ It is not to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure. It is prudence that immediately guides the judgment of conscience. The prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.

1807 Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the "virtue of religion." Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good. The just man, often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbor. "You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor." ⁶⁸ "Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven." ⁶⁹

1808 Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. "The Lord is my strength and my song." ⁷⁰ "In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." ⁷¹

1809 Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion: "Do not follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your heart." ⁷² Temperance is often praised in the Old Testament: "Do not follow your base desires, but restrain your appetites." ⁷³ In the New Testament it is called "moderation" or "sobriety." We ought "to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world." ⁷⁴

To live well is nothing other than to love God with all one's heart, with all one's soul and with all one's efforts; from this it comes about that love is kept whole and uncorrupted (through temperance). No misfortune can disturb it (and this is fortitude). It obeys only [God] (and this is justice), and is careful in discerning things, so as not to be surprised by deceit or trickery (and this is prudence). ⁷⁵

1810 Human virtues acquired by education, by deliberate acts and by a perseverance ever-renewed in repeated efforts are purified and elevated by divine grace. With God's help, they forge character and give facility in the practice of the good. The virtuous man is happy to practice them.

1811 It is not easy for man, wounded by sin, to maintain moral balance. Christ's gift of salvation offers us the grace necessary to persevere in the pursuit of the virtues. Everyone should always ask for this grace of light and strength, frequent the sacraments, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and follow his calls to love what is good and shun evil.


II. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES

1812 The human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt man's faculties for participation in the divine nature: ⁷⁶ for the theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object.

2 Peter 1:4
by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature.

1813 The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. ⁷⁷

1 Corinthians 13:13
So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love,

The integrality of the gift of self

2346 Charity is the form of all the virtues. Under its influence, chastity appears as a school of the gift of the person. Self-mastery is ordered to the gift of self. Chastity leads him who practices it to become a witness to his neighbor of God's fidelity and loving kindness. 2347 The virtue of chastity blossoms in friendship. It shows the disciple how to follow and imitate him who has chosen us as his friends, ¹³⁴ who has given himself totally to us and allows us to participate in his divine estate. Chastity is a promise of immortality.

John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Chastity is expressed notably in friendship with one's neighbor. Whether it develops between persons of the same or opposite sex, friendship represents a great good for all. It leads to spiritual communion.
+++
Thank you Fr. Benedict Groeschel for writing this book below on the same topic, but where is the imprimatur/nihil obstat from the local bishop? :)

Marriage, the Prophet Hosea, and Three Chapters in the Old Testament

The Old Testament covers approximately 75% of the Bible. Unless you've plowed through it, you're likely to miss portions that act as keys to other portions of the Gospel.

Hosea is the major, minor prophet. He's only minor because he's a prophet of very few words. "Hosea" is also be written as "Osee". How massive are the implications of Hosea 1-3 about love, especially married love? And think, this is before Pentecost. For all the other Christian churches out there who waiver with the teaching of Marriage between two Christians on the grounds of adultery, Hosea has already been there: free, total, faithful, and fruitful. Yes, adultery is a sin, but who is perfect or associated with someone perfect without the need for reconciliation?

Thank God for Fr. Freddy for reminding us of the prophet Hosea's life. For me, it was a long time....but I somehow seemed to recall this example by deed, if not by name.

Real Friendship by St. Francis de Sales (Church Doctor) from the "Introduction to the Devout Life"

DO you, my child, love every one with the pure love of charity,
but have no friendship save with those whose intercourse is good
and true, and the purer the bond which unites you so much higher
will your friendship be. If your intercourse is based on science
it is praiseworthy, still more if it arises from a participation
in goodness, prudence, justice and the like; but if the bond of
your mutual liking be charity, devotion and Christian perfection,
God knows how very precious a friendship it is! Precious because
it comes from God, because it tends to God, because God is the
link that binds you, because it will last for ever in Him. Truly
it is a blessed thing to love on earth as we hope to love in
Heaven, and to begin that friendship here which is to endure for
ever there. I am not now speaking of simple charity, a love due
to all mankind, but of that spiritual friendship which binds
souls together, leading them to share devotions and spiritual
interests, so as to have but one mind between them. Such as these
may well cry out, "Behold, how good and joyful a thing it is,
brethren, to dwell together in unity!" [106] Even so, for the
"precious ointment" of devotion trickles continually from one
heart to the other, so that truly we may say that to such
friendship the Lord promises His Blessing and life for evermore.
To my mind all other friendship is but as a shadow with respect
to this, its links mere fragile glass compared to the golden bond
of true devotion. Do you form no other friendships. I say "form,"
because you have no right to cast aside or neglect the natural
bonds which draw you to relations, connexions, benefactors or
neighbours. My rules apply to those you deliberately choose to
make. There are some who will tell you that you should avoid all
special affection or friendship, as likely to engross the heart,
distract the mind, excite jealousy, and what not. But they are
confusing things. They have read in the works of saintly and
devout writers that individual friendships and special intimacies
are a great hindrance in the religious life, and therefore they
suppose it to be the same with all the world, which is not at all
the case. Whereas in a well-regulated community every one's aim
is true devotion, there is no need for individual intercourse,
which might exceed due limits;--in the world those who aim at a
devout life require to be united one with another by a holy
friendship, which excites, stimulates and encourages them in
well-doing. Just as men traversing a plain have no need to hold
one another up, as they have who are amid slippery mountain
paths, so religious do not need the stay of individual
friendships; but those who are living in the world require such
for strength and comfort amid the difficulties which beset them.
In the world all have not one aim, one mind, and therefore we
must take to us congenial friends, nor is there any undue
partiality in such attachments, which are but as the separation
of good from evil, the sheep from the goats, the bee from the
drone--a necessary separation.

No one can deny that our Dear Lord loved S. John, Lazarus,
Martha, Magdalene, with a specially tender friendship, since we
are told so in Holy Scripture; and we know that S. Paul dearly
loved S. Mark, S. Petronilla, as S. Paul Timothy and Thecla.
[107] S. Gregory Nazianzen boasts continually of his friendship
with the great S. Basil, of which he says: "It seemed as though
with two bodies we had but one soul, and if we may not believe
those who say that all things are in all else, at least one must
affirm that we were two in one, and one in two --the only object
that both had being to grow in holiness, and to mould our present
life to our future hopes, thereby forsaking this mortal world
before our death." And S. Augustine says that S. Ambrose loved S.
Monica by reason of her many virtues, and that she in return
loved him as an Angel of God.

What need to affirm so unquestionable a fact! S. Jerome, S.
Augustine, S. Gregory, S. Bernard, and all the most notable
servants of God, have had special friendships, which in nowise
hindered their perfection. S. Paul, in describing evil men, says
that they were "without natural affection," [108] i.e. without
friendship. And S. Thomas, in common with other philosophers,
acknowledges that friendship is a virtue, and he certainly means
individual friendships, because he says that we cannot bestow
perfect friendship on many persons. So we see that the highest
grace does not lie in being without friendships, but in having
none which are not good, holy and true.

[106] Ps. 133:1 - [Song of Ascents] How good, how delightful it is to live as brothers all together! (New Jerusalem Bible)

[107] S. Thecla (V.M.) was a native of Lycaonia, converted (so
say S. Augustine, S. Ambrose, S. Epiphanius, and others of the
Fathers) by S. Paul, who kindled so strong a love of virginity in
her heart that she broke off her intended marriage, and devoted
herself to Christ. She is said to have followed S. Paul in
several of his journeys, and a very ancient Martyrology, which
bears the name of S. Jerome, published by Florentinus, says that
she was miraculously delivered unhurt from the persecutors'
flames at Rome. It seems doubtful whether she died a natural or a
martyr's death. The first Christian Emperors built a great Church
at Seleucia, where she died.

[108] Rom. 1:31 - without brains, honour, love or pity. (New Jerusalem Bible)

For more sections within the "Introduction to the Devout Life":

• http://catholic-lifetime-reading-plan.blogspot.com/2008/08/introduction-to-devout-life-by-st.html
  

Peter Singer's Animal Rights and the Catholic Church

Philosopher and animal rights activist Peter Singer argues that the moral circle should be extended to include all sentient beings. "Love your neighbor" and "love your enemy" should encompass all "sentient beings" such as lions, lobster, monkeys, snakes, sharks, etc. With reference to Singer's work, critically evaluate his arguments against speciesism (akin to racism or sexism).

• http://sites.google.com/site/catholiclifetimereadingplan/file-cabinet/ET100_Peter_Singer.pdf [A4 paper, 4 pages]

Warning: A single possible reference by Peter Singer (or someone) goes into an area that is pretty disgusting, but is mentioned in the Bible as sinful behavior.

Summary:

• Introduction
• Expanding Moral Justice to all Sentient Creatures with Interests
• Animal Research and Human Medical Care
• Peter Singer's Interest-based Utilitarianism
• Conclusion
• Expanded Footnotes
• Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Catechism of the Catholic Church, para #2415, 1994.
• John Paul II, Centesimus annus 37-38
• Bibliography

Bible and Church Quotations:

• "'Please allow your servants a ten days' trial, during which we are given only vegetables to eat and water to drink. You can then compare our looks with those of the boys who eat the king's food; go by what you see, and treat your servants accordingly.' The man agreed to do what they asked and put them on ten days' trial. When the ten days were over, they looked better and fatter than any of the boys who had eaten their allowance from the royal table; so the guard withdrew their allowance of food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. To these four boys God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and learning; Daniel also had the gift of interpreting every kind of vision and dream." (Daniel 1:12-17) [New Jerusalem Bible]
  
• "The upright has compassion on his animals, but the heart of the wicked is ruthless. " (Proverbs 12:10) [New Jerusalem Bible]
• The lion will eat hay like the ox. The infant will play over the den of the adder; the baby will put his hand into the viper's lair. No hurt, no harm will be done on all my holy mountain, for the country will be full of knowledge of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea.'' (Isaiah 11:6-9) [New Jerusalem Bible]
• The wolf and the young lamb will feed together, the lion will eat hay like the ox, and dust be the serpent's food. No hurt, no harm will be done on all my holy mountain, Yahweh says. (Isaiah 65:25) [New Jerusalem Bible]
• The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity. Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. Man's dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para #2415)
• Animals are God's creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para #2416)
• Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?' (Matthew 6:26)
• Bless the Lord, you whales and all creatures that move in the waters, sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord, all birds of the air, sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever, Bless the Lord, all beasts and cattle, sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever. (Daniel 3:79-81)
• God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image. 198 Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para #2417)
• It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para #2418)
• And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. (Genesis 9:1-4)
  

"God, Sex, and the Meaning of Life: An Introduction to Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body" by Christopher West

This is the first of 3 talks given by Christopher West at WYD 2008 Sydney.

• http://sites.google.com/site/catholiclifetimereadingplan/file-cabinet/WYD08-GodSexandtheMeaningofLife.aac

Source: http://www.xt3.com/