Parallel virtues connected to Salesian life.

We as Salesians value virtue ethics though many a time we failed to practice. In virtue ethics we consider human person rather then one’s actions. Being human we are weak and we fall into temptation of judging people merely on their actions rather then looking at a person as a whole with his/her limitations. Virtues are habits that shape our characters, and vices are the habits that in some way cause an obstacle to reach happiness. We Christians cultivate good habits at home, in our families. As Salesians we continue those good habits and cultivate some more in order to be an example for the youngsters in our oratories and apostolate. To be a good religious especially in today’s world you need to be virtuous man/women. In other words we can say that virtue plays a key role in the life of a consecrated person. Telos is the centre of virtue ethics. As a Christian or a religious my Telos is God. As a chosen one my Telos is radical following of Jesus. The question arises here is; what about people who are not religious? Not all are called to follow Jesus in the same way as a religious do, but all are called to make this world a prominent place. Some of the practices we follow as Salesians help us reach our Telos. For example the Salesians are known for their hardwork, dedication, joy and optimism. In this way we Salesians not only direct ourselves towards the Telos but also lead other people towards it.