“Wastefulness vs. Greed Generosity is the middle ground between wastefulness and greed:
• Wasteful people give too much and take too little.
• Greedy people take too much and give too little.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 64
“A truly generous person:
• Gives to the right people, in the right amount, at the right time.
• Gives happily, not with regret.
• Doesn’t just give everything away carelessly.
• Doesn’t take money from bad sources.
A generous person handles their money well. This way, they can keep helping others. They do not hoard wealth out of fear, nor do they recklessly give everything away. Instead, they earn fairly so they always have the means to give.
Generosity isn’t about giving huge amounts—it’s about giving based on what you have. Someone with little money who still gives is more generous than a rich person who gives a lot but barely notices the loss.
Because generous people prefer giving over saving, they often don’t become very rich. Some people think it's unfair that those who deserve wealth the most often get the least. This happens because they don't focus on keeping money.
Still, generosity requires balance. Giving too much or to the wrong people is wasteful. A generous person spends wisely so they can help those who truly need it.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 62-64
“Yes—pleasure can cause pain!
A self-indulgent person suffers when they don’t get their cravings. A temperate person:
• Avoids bad pleasures.
• Enjoys good pleasures in the right amount.
• Doesn’t feel pain when they don’t get unnecessary pleasures.
A temperate person enjoys only what is healthy and right, without going too far.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 60
“So temperance is about controlling bodily pleasures, but not all of them.
• Enjoying beautiful sights (like paintings or colors) isn’t seen as self-indulgent.
• Enjoying pleasant scents, such as flowers or incense, isn’t the same. It only counts if it’s linked to cravings. For example, you might love the smell of food because it makes you hungry.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 58
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Gospel reading for today:
“Jesus said to his disciples:
‘To you who hear I say, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
and get back the same amount.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.
Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.’ “
-Luke 6:27-38
The first reading in today’s Catholic Liturgy is timely and appropriate:
“Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one Body.”
-1 Colossians 3:12-15
“Virtue works the same way. Just doing a kind or fair action once doesn’t make you a kind or fair person. To truly have virtue, three things must happen:
1 You must understand what you are doing.
2 You must choose to do it because it is the right thing to do.
3 You must do it regularly so that it becomes part of who you are.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics-For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg.39
“The Key to Being Good
• Virtue is about pleasure and pain—we need to train ourselves to enjoy good actions and avoid bad ones.
• Virtue is developed by practice—what we do repeatedly determines our character.
• Virtue is about balance—too much or too little of anything can lead to bad character.
Happiness comes from living a good life. To be virtuous, you need effort, discipline, and good habits.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics-For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 38
“People often do bad things because they enjoy them and avoid doing good things because they seem difficult. This is why training from a young age is important—we need to learn to enjoy good actions and avoid harmful ones.
Punishments also work this way. We correct people by making them feel pain when they do something wrong. Pain and pleasure influence our behavior.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 38