Status Viatoris In Popular Mechanics

Status Viatoris has great implication to our lives as it relates to Faith, Hope, and Love, the theological virtues. Some of the characters in our readings highlight a specific theological virtue more than others, yet all need the concept of Status Viatoris to orient themselves on the correct path in their life. Aylmer’s unwavering faith in science did not lead him to cherish his wife, but to manipulate and abuse her. Charlotte Bronte, recognizing her own sinful tendencies, saw that she needed to place her hope in the Lord, and not her friend, lest she idolize a mere mortal. The characters in Popular Mechanic, though they were convinced that they were acting out of love, actually caused harm to their child. Augustine, because of the great length of his writing, perhaps most accurately captures how when we are not oriented, ignoring the concept of Status Viatoris, we lack all three of the theological virtues. These writings indicate the importance of the theological virtues as we live out our finite lives.

Dr. Miller defined
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Both characters in Raymond Carver’s “Popular Mechanics” were fully convinced that they loved their child. Both probably thought they would do anything to protect him from harm. In this short story, two people fought over the custody of their baby, but not in court; They physically tried to take the baby away from each other. “In the near dark he worked on her fisted fingers with one hand and with the other hand he gripped the screaming baby up under an arm near the shoulder.” (CITATION) This disturbing story reminds us of how dangerous it can be to be caught up in our own pride. They were more concerned with having what the other could not than with the wellbeing of their child. The necessity of the theological virtue love is demonstrated finally in this line: “In this manner, the issue was decided.”