·                     can name her/his feelings

·                     can see a situation from another person’s point of view

·                     accepts that others have different perspectives

There are days in our lives that we may see others come to school sad, afraid, frustrated, or even angry.  To live the virtue of EMPATHY is to not judge those people because we never know what others are holding in their hearts.  In your everyday life try to remember that you may not always understand what others are feeling but you can always be a good friend.

…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Matthew (25: 35-39)

 Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?    

                                                                                  Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. 

                                              Mother Teresa 

You must be the change you want to see in the world.

M. Gandhi

November:  Conscience

A person of conscience knows that in times of frustration or temptation they must listen to their inner voice and choose to do good and to avoid evil.

A conscientious person…

·                     chooses to do the right thing, even when it is difficult

·                     takes time to think and pray before making decisions

·                     knows that their actions and decisions affect all those around them

·                     is aware of and practices the idea behind the Golden Rule:

“Treat others as you wish to be treated.”

A crisis of conscience is everywhere we look in today’s society. The rise in youth violence, peer pressure, stealing, cheating, substance abuse and bullying is happening in the world today not because people are bad but because there is a lack of CONSCIENCE; the inability to distinguish right from wrong. We can all feel a little bit better knowing that conscience is something we learn. We are not simply born knowing right from wrong; we have to learn how to make wise decisions. Look up to people who are strong moral role models and practice the virtues taught to us by the Church. Virtues such as empathy, kindness and self-control will help you to make the right decisions in your life.

Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, then to suffer for doing evil.

                                                                        1 Peter 3:16-17

I have a hope in God that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience toward God and all people.                                    Acts 24:15-16

Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking.                  H. L. Mencken

Conscience is the root of all true courage; if a man would be brave let him obey his conscience.                  James Freeman Clarke

The inability of those in power to still the voices of their own consciences is the great force leading to change.                                 Kenneth Kaunda

December:  Hope

Hope is the knowledge that when we go through difficult situations we will come out on the other side stronger and wiser.

A hopeful person is…

·                     likely to succeed

·                     inspired and inspires others

·                     optimistic

·                     seeking good things from life

In life we all face challenges which test our faith and make us lose all hope. When challenges come our way we must remember that God does not put anything in our path that He thinks we cannot handle. See each challenge as a way to become a stronger person both physically and spiritually. Try to understand that having patience during the hard times is a sign that you are growing up. Hope keeps us alive and keeps us on the path set for us by God. Keep hope in your heart and God will help you through all of the tough times.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”                                                                             

            Matthew 6:19-21

 Whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right.
 Henry Ford

A journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step.
Chinese proverb

Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.
John Wooden

Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.
Anonymous

January:  Self-Control

Self-control is the ability to manage one's own actions, desires, or emotions.

A person with self-control…

·                     is patient

·                     knows how to wait his/her turn

·                     can calm him/herself down and think before reacting to situations

·                     knows how to avoid physical aggression (hitting, kicking, pushing, etc.)

·                     can think things through

SELF-CONTROL helps us to resist the temptation to do something that we will regret. It also helps us to resist the temptation to do something that will harm ourselves or others. Each time you exercise self-control you grow stronger in the Lord and invite peace to settle over your life as you avoid any guilt you may feel from having made a poor decision.

Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.  The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, ‘one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’" Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,' and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."  Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'" Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.                                                                     Matthew (4:1-11)

 It's all right letting yourself go, as long as you can get yourself back.                   Mick Jagger

      It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe that lures him to evil ways. 

                                                                                      Buddha

February:  Respect

Respect, reverence, acceptance, and admiration come from a heart which is devoted completely to the Lord.

A respectful person…

·                     treats himself/herself and everyone else with equal consideration and courtesy

·                     uses a positive tone of voice and body language

·                     avoids swearing, name-calling, put-downs, and inappropriate gestures

·                     says ‘Excuse me’, ‘Please’, ‘Pardon me’

·                     avoids gossip

We all deserve to be shown courtesy, consideration, sensitivity and thoughtfulness, which are different ways of saying respect. RESPECT should come first and foremost from us.  We have to respect ourselves and then we will be able to respect others.  We should also be able to expect to be treated with respect by everyone we meet – our brothers and sisters in Jesus.

Sanctify Christ as Lord.  Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.  Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.

1 Peter 3:15-16

Respect is love in plain clothes.             

                       Frankie Byrne

Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners.                                                                               Laurence Sterne

Respect yourself and others will respect you. 

                                                Confucius

March:   Kindness

Kindness is a simple act that becomes extraordinary when God is involved.

A kind person…

·                     gives their time to help others

·                     stands by their friends in time of need

·                     is compassionate and helps those who are suffering

·                     is sensitive to the needs around them

·                     is agreeable and sympathetic

God wants us to be kind, not nice.  The difference is small, but significant. Nice can be superficial, but to be kind is to show deep compassion. Kindness is part of our nature, if we are kind we are able to see God in every face that we meet. As we grow, we will learn to be a more compassionate people and as a result we will become more aware of the need in the people around us and around the world. Allowing God to fill our hearts with kindness will let us see what great things we can accomplish.

“If you love those who love, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you. Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.” Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Luke 6:27-36

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up. 

                                                            Jesse Jackson

Be the change you want to see in the world.

                                    Mohandas Gandhi.

Kind words can be short and easy to speak but  their echoes are truly endless.                                        Mother Teresa

April:  Love

God is Love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 

A Loving person…

·                     wants the best for others

·                     is willing to make sacrifices for the good of others

·                     learns from the heroic lives of saints & holy people

·                     knows that we are all lovable

·                     prays for others

God has given us many guidelines and examples of how to live our lives.  God sent God’s Son Jesus to make sure that we could see what life could be like.  Jesus made one lesson clear above all other lessons – the lesson to LOVE.  Love is not about us – it is about forgetting ourselves and looking out for the good of the other.  That’s what Jesus did – he forgot about himself on purpose.  He chose to give up his life for the good of others – us!  Becoming a truly loving person is challenging.   It takes prayer and concentration to get used to making little sacrifices for the good of others.  Making little sacrifices on purpose so that others will have a bit of food, a bit of shelter, a bit of peace, a bit of quiet, a bit of fun, a bit of friendship.

Love has been perfected among us in this:  that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.  We love because he first loved us.  Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brother or sister, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.  The commandment we have from him is this:  those who love God must love their brother and sister also.

John 4: 16-21

St. Augustine’s thoughts on LOVE:

He poses the question:  “What does love look like?”

His answer is simple: “Love has hands to help others. It has feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of others. That’s what love looks like.”

May:  Acceptance

Acceptance is acknowledging that we are all made in God’s image and we are all welcome to sit at the table.

An accepting person is…

·                     willing to treat somebody as a member of a group

·                     non-judgmental

·                     welcoming to those different them himself/herself

·                     loving and happy with who they are

The virtue of ACCEPTANCE is the grateful embrace of self, situation and others.  Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where it is easier to follow the crowd than to stand up for what we know is right.  However, Jesus wants us to accept everyone even those we consider unlovable.  We can do this by looking at people from a more compassionate perspective.  By embracing the people the rest of society shuns we follow Jesus’ example of acceptance for all.

The Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his physical stature, because I have refused him.  For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

                        1 Samuel 16:7

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbour as yourself. 

                        Matthew 22: 37-39

 God does not love us because we are valuable.  We are valuable because God loves us.                                                    Martin Luther King, Jr.

Nothing is a greater impediment to being on good terms with others than being ill at ease with yourself.                       Honoré de Balzac

June:  Fairness

Fairness is the not the idea of equality but the idea that everyone has what they need. 

A Fair person…

·                     listens to all sides before forming opinions

·                     shows good sportsmanship at all times

·                     knows that the same rules apply to everyone

·                     refuses to twist rules to avoid consequences

·                     works to bring about peaceful solutions to problems

·                     cheers on the successes of others

We are made by God to live together, to share and to help each other.  You can’t be a Christian alone.  Christianity is all about living together in community – ideally, one big happy family.  When the urge to be superior takes over a person’s life then fairness can go out the window.  Fairness, the belief that everyone deserves an opportunity to succeed, is not always about making things exactly equal.  Some people need a bit more time, space, money, and support to have an equal chance to succeed.  And they deserve that chance.  Jesus spent a major part of his time on earth showing us about the preferential option for the poor and weak.  He spent an extraordinary amount of time showing us how to follow God’s rules, the rules of the kingdom.  The sick, the lame, the blind, the bad sinners all need a fair chance to succeed – to overcome their disadvantages and disabilities in order to succeed.  In today’s terms, that could be called good sportsmanship.  A good sport makes sure the rules of the game give everyone a fair chance to participate.  Not everyone has to win.  Everyone deserves a chance to be in the game.

“The Lord is merciful and gracious; he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.”

Psalms 103:8–11, NLT

 “Focus on competition has always been a formula for mediocrity.”

Daniel Burrus

“Being part of an agenda beyond ourselves liberates us to complement each other rather than compete with each other.” 

Joseph Stowell