Episode 23: Goodness Gracious

La Bonne Vie

Kyle and Deacon Conque continue the conversation on transcendental goodness. Join us as we seek to conform our wills by affirming, pursuing, and being grateful for goodness.

Show Notes and Outline of Topics

Quote from Pope St. John Paul the Great, Fides et Ratio

"No less important than research in the theoretical field is research in the practical field—by which I mean the search for truth which looks to the good which is to be performed. In acting ethically, according to a free and rightly tuned will, the human person sets foot upon the path to happiness and moves towards perfection."

1. Pope St. John Paul the Great on Pursuing the Good: Tuning the Will

ּ• the danger of pursuing truth without goodness

• the practical dimension of goodness

• being good is higher and more foundational than doing good

• the active life should flow from the contemplative life

• tuning the will to what is real: attention and adjustment

• tuning the will and the path to happiness

2. Incarnating Goodness in the Home

• responding to the good: affirmation, pursuit, and gratitude

• spouses being in tune with each other

• conjugal: with yoking, being harnessed together

• seeing unity with our spouse with gratitude instead of seeing it as a burden

• reality as gift

• nature of a gift: goodness beyond what we deserve-gratitude

• resentment as a lack of gratitude: examining when we feel unappreciated and angry

• resentment and holding on: rooted in us holding on to a sin or weakness that we haven't yet committed to the Lord

• frustration and beating ourselves up when we really just need to adjust our tuning

3. Goodness and the Fundamentals

• a finely tuned will and contemplation

• the tragedy when we don't receive the goodness from our spouse and children

• fundamental goodness and education

• classical education is designed to form students to affirm, pursue, and have gratitude for goodness

• the difficult discernment to take the risk of classical education in high school

• parental authority and educational choices

• gratitude for the gift of classical education

• classical education is to education what the sacraments are to salvation

• the importance and danger of praising our children: praising outcomes creates entitled narcissists

La Bonne Vie is a podcast offering from John Paul the Great Academy dedicated to discussing the joys, triumphs, struggles, and issues with boldly living out our Catholic, classical mission in Acadiana through vibrant family lives.

Our theme music, "Vive La Bonne Vie," is by L'Angelus.