Virtues
The virtues are addressed in Article 7 of the first section (“The Vocation of Man: Life in the Spirit”) of the third part (“Life in Christ”) of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in numbers 1803 to 1845.
There are two types of virtues: the Theological and Cardinal Virtues.
At the end of this article on the virtues from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we invite you to discover other questions about Christian life.
What are the virtues?
“Virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good.” (No. 1833)
“The human virtues are stable dispositions of the intellect and the will that govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with reason and faith. They can be grouped around the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.” (No. 1834)
“They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. The virtuous man is he who freely practices the good.” (No. 1804)
“The moral virtues grow through education, deliberate acts, and perseverance in struggle. Divine grace purifies and elevates them.” (No. 1839)
What are the theological virtues?
The first letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians evokes the theological virtues: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
This is particularly discussed in numbers 1812 to 1829 of the Catechism.
Faith
The virtue of faith is particularly discussed in numbers 1814 to 1816.
“Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith “man freely commits his entire self to God.” (Romans 1:17) For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God's will. “The righteous shall live by faith.” Living faith “works through charity.” (Galatians 5:6).” (No. 1814)
“The gift of faith remains in him who has not sinned against it (DS 1545). But “faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26): when it is deprived of hope and love, faith does not fully unite the believer to Christ and does not make him a living member of his Body.” (No. 1815)
“The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: “All however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks.” Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation: “So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.””(Matthew 10:32-33). (No. 1816)
In the light of these numbers, we can in particular recall that:
· By faith, “man freely commits his entire self to God” and “seeks to know and do God's will ”
· Living faith acts through charity
· Faith requires the practice of hope and love
· Faith requires living, professing and bearing witness to it
Hope
This is particularly discussed in numbers 1817 to 1821.
“Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” “The Holy Spirit . . . he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.” (No. 1817)
“The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity. (No. 1818)
“But through the merits of Jesus Christ and of his Passion, God keeps us in the “hope that does not disappoint.” Hope is the “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul . . . that enters . . . where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf.” Hope is also a weapon that protects us in the struggle of salvation: “Let us . . . put on the breastplate of faith and charity, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” It affords us joy even under trial: “Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation.” Hope is expressed and nourished in prayer, especially in the Our Father, the summary of everything that hope leads us to desire.” (no. 1820)
Charity
This is particularly discussed in numbers 1822 to 1829.
“Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.” (No. 1822)
“... charity keeps the commandments of God and his Christ: “Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.” (No. 1824)
“Charity is superior to all the virtues. It is the first of the theological virtues.” (No. 1826)
“The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity.” (No. 1827)
“The practice of the moral life animated by charity gives to the Christian the spiritual freedom of the children of God. He no longer stands before God as a slave, in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking for wages, but as a son responding to the love of him who “first loved us” (No. 1828)
“The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy; charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; it fosters reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and communion.” (No. 1829)
Two other numbers give us a small synthesis of the theological virtues.
“The theological virtues dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have God for their origin, their motive, and their object - God known by faith, God hoped in and loved for his own sake.” (No. 1840)
“They inform all the moral virtues and give life to them.” (No. 1841)
What are the cardinal virtues?
Chapter 8 of the book of Wisdom evokes the cardinal virtues: “If anyone loves to do what is right, laboring with Wisdom will produce every virtue. She trains persons to learn moderation and practical wisdom. She teaches them what is right and how to exercise courage. Nothing is more advantageous than these when it comes to human existence.” (Wisdom 8:7)
We owe the expression of cardinal virtues to Ambrose of Milan. Let's discover these virtues from the perspective of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Prudence
This is particularly discussed in numbers 1806 to 1835. The latter gives us a good summary.
“Prudence disposes the practical reason to discern, in every circumstance, our true good and to choose the right means for achieving it.” (No. 1835)
Justice
This is particularly discussed in numbers 1807 to 1836.
“The just man, often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbor.” (No. 1807)
“Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor.” (No. 1836)
Fortitude
This is particularly discussed in numbers 1808 to 1837.
“Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. “The Lord is my strength and my song.” “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (No. 1808)
Temperance
This is particularly discussed in numbers 1809 and 1838.
“Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods... The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion: “Do not follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your heart.” (No. 1809)
Also discover our other articles close to the subject of virtues, like:
· Freedom
With Hozana, let’s pray to practice the virtues!
Let us pray to practice the virtues, in order to seek holiness, to which our baptism calls us.
Hozana offers many communities of support, sharing, and enrichment to develop your virtues, such as this novena to St. Padre Pio, this one with the virtuous St. Joseph, this communityled by the fathers of the church, or this one to become more virtuous and holy.
