Pathways to Community: Four Weeks on Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance (7 x 4: A Meditation a Day for a Span of Four Weeks) [Paperback]

Robert F. Morneau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008 | Series: 7 x 4: A Meditation a Day for a Span of Four Weeks

In Pathways to Community, well-known author Robert F. Morneau helps readers to focus on their relationships to others and to the larger society by offering a month worth of daily reflections on prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. Each week opens with a song or hymn, followed by passages for meditation from a variety of poets, novelists, philosophers and theologians. Each days entry concludes with a question and short prayer. Morneau provides reflections on a diverse range of authors, including William Blake, Jessica Powers, C.S. Lewis, Evelyn Underhill, John Milton, Francis de Sales and others.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert F. Morneau , a prolific author, is the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay, WI. He lectures widely, and is a soughtafter retreat master.

Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: New City Press (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565483030
• ISBN-13: 978-1565483033
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,172,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Road to Quiet, Order, and Strength, September 24, 2008

By 

Carol Blank (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Pathways to Community: Four Weeks on Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance (7 x 4: A Meditation a Day for a Span of Four Weeks) (Paperback)

This four-week series of daily meditations examines the cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. These virtues "quiet us; they order our senses; they provide the strength of healthy self-denial," writes Morneau. And as the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity focus on our relationships with God, the cardinal virtues define our relationships with one another and the larger society. Each cardinal or "moral" virtue is presented in seven sections, each made up of two short reflections, one by Morneau and the other from the work of an novelist, poet, theologian, or philosopher. These daily meditations end with a question and short prayer.

I found the chapter on temperance striking in terms of today's culture of busy-ness, and excess. The daily meditations address the need for self-denial, silence, and asceticism. In the meditation on confronting impetuosity, Morneau writes of "active temperaments." He turns to Francis de Sales for advice on taming impulsiveness. Francis' guidelines include becoming accustomed to speaking gently, walking slowly, and doing everything quietly and in moderation. "In three or four years," Francis writes, "you will have regulated this hasty impulsiveness." He encourages the practice any time, anywhere, even when impetuous urges are not present. The closing question is about the tempo of our lives and how we handle our impulses. In prayer, we ask Jesus to "gentle our ways" and give us patience and moderation to discern and obey God's will.