27. Virtue and vice

27. VIRTUE AND VICE A WELL FORMED CONSCIENCE AND THE PRACTICE OF VIRTUE LEAD US TOWARD HOLINESS AND AWAY FROM SIN Compendium 370-400 Galatians 5:22-23 1. Our conscience is formed by the inner voice of God and the natural law etched on our souls by God which recognizes right and wrong, good and evil, such as not doing unnecessary harm to others. Conscience does not establish moral truth but rather a well formed conscience perceives it. 2. In baptism and confirmation we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, fear of the Lord) 3. We can never do evil so that good can come from it. 4. We should treat others with the same dignity we wish for ourselves. 5. We should accept others without condoning evil. 6. We must recognize that we do not know everything and we can be wrong. 7. When we make good habits we grow in the Cardinal virtues of Prudence, Justice, Temperance and Fortitude and we grow in likeness to God who created us in his image and likeness. 8. Virtue is the habitual and firm commitment to do good and avoid evil. 9. Faith is believing that God is Truth itself and leads us to Hope for eternal life which is the reward for living the present moment well in Charity to all. We grow in these theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity through prayer and the sacraments. 10. The fruits of living the virtues are Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Faithfulness, Goodness, Gentleness, Generosity, Modesty, Self-control and Purity. 11. The vices are Pride, Envy, Greed, Lust, Anger, Sloth and Gluttony. These sinful habits damage our relationship with God and one another, diminish human solidarity and cause evil to gain power in the world. Sin is the root cause of all evil and suffering. 12. Sin is a thought word or deed that is offensive to God who is Love. 13. There are also sins of omission when we fail to do good that we should do. 14. Mortal sin is deliberate and grave offense committed with full knowledge and consent of the sinner and separates the soul from God and risks the loss of eternal life. 15. We must never cooperate in the sins of others. 16. The Sacraments of Baptism and Confession free us from sin and restore the life of Christ in us. We are truly free when we admit our sins and allow God's infinite mercy to heal us. 17. On the cross Jesus reveals the seriousness of sin and the necessity of repentance. 18. While we must love the sinner as Jesus does, giving our life for each one, we must hate sin for the slavery it brings to humanity.