Introducing Moral Theology by William C. Mattison III

I really enjoyed this book, it's comprehensive, practical and easy to read. It answered many of the  questions that I came up against when I studied the Life in the Spirit section of the Catechism such as the relationship between emotions and virtue, the role of conscience in making decisions, and the relationship between freedom and grace.

The book begins by explaining what a morality of happiness is i.e. doing the right thing because it leads to happiness, as oppose to a morality of obligation which means doing things we'd rather not because the world would be a worse place if we didn't all follow certain rules. Catholic moral theology is based on a morality of happiness. In the truly virtuous person there is no difference between what they want to do and the right thing to do.

After a general discussion of moral acts, freedom, virtue and habit  the book looks at each of the cardinal virtues and then the theological virtues. In between these chapters there are four chapters that look at particular moral questions: the role alcohol plays in college life, just war and whether dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima could be considered a good act, sex outside of marriage, and euthanasia. I skimmed quickly through these chapters but I'd recommend them to anyone who is facing a particular issue.

Finally the book includes chapters on sin, Christ, grace and how the seven petitions of the Lord's prayer match the seven virtues. The highlights for me were the chapters on temperance, prudence, charity, Christ and grace. Below are some brief notes on the Cardinal virtues.

Temperance - this chapter breaks down the move from intemperance to temperance into four stages. The first is recognising that you are intemperate (you overeat, under-eat, drink to much, spend too much time playing video game etc), the second is incontinence (you desire to change but you can't), the third is continence (you are able to do the right thing but you still struggle with temptation), the fourth is when indulgence is no longer even tempting. This is where the passions are discussed. While we can't control what emotions arise, the fully temperate person is free from inappropriate passions (they are not fighting their own disordered desires). That is not to say they are without emotion, but their emotions fit the occasion. They might get angry at an injustice but not simply at a perceived slight.

Prudence - prudence is right judgement in action, the ability to see what the right thing to do is and act. It's about being able to see situations as they really are with no self-deception. This is also where conscience comes in. A poorly formed conscience will not even be aware that something isn't prudent.

Justice - "is the habit of acting in a manner that nourishes right relations with others". It applies not just to criminal cases but to families or any group. Justice contributes to well ordered relations.

Fortitude - "is the habit that enables you to face difficulties well". Aquinas divides fortitude into attack and endurance. The book uses the serenity prayer to illustrate the difference, attack is 'the courage to change the things I can' while endurance is 'the serenity to accept the things I cannot change'. Aquinas says that endurance is the hardest part of fortitude e.g patiently putting up with suffering. The person with fortitude still feels fear (the urge to flee) but is able to withstand the fear and act, whereas the coward feels fear and flees.