Courtesy of Wendell Berry's essay, "The Pleasure of Eating".

If we are aiming to live virtuously in our marriages, families, and friendships, we need much more than sporadic good deeds or occasional acts of kindness when we happen to be in a good mood.

Do you worry over what others think of you? Do you sometimes say or do things to draw attention to yourself? Do you replay conversations in your mind, wondering if you left the right impression? If so, you might be struggling with the vice known as vainglory.

For some readers of the Gospels, Jesus might appear to be offering two contradictory messages about anger.

"The ways of the Lord are not comfortable. But we were not created for comfort, but for greatness." - Pope Benedict XVI

Do you agonize over big decisions or get anxious about the future? Are you afraid of commitments? Do you change your mind a lot?

Prudence is the virtue that most immediately helps us live our lives on target.

I'll never forget the instructor's last words: "And if you happen to fall out of your kayak, don't try to stand up in the river."

In his book Love and Responsibility John Paul II reflects not simply on why contraception is immoral, but even more, on how contraception actually can destroy the love between a husband and wife in marriage.

What can a celibate priest really teach us about love, sexuality, and relationships between men and women?