The Three Theological Virtues
Faith, Hope, & Love (Charity)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that faith, hope, and love (charity) "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, hoped in, and loved for His own sake.
They provide the foundation for the Christian's entire moral life because they guide, direct, and give life to all other virtues. These virtues are gifts given to us by God freely and it is up to us to decide whether or not we want to accept and use them.
Faith
The word Faith, from latin fides, refers to who trusts, who confides and relies on something. Faith is the Theological Virtue for which men believe in God and in His word that, according to the Christian Catholic doctrine, represents the Absolute Truth. It permits the men to completely rely on God and carry out His will. This fundamental Christian virtue presupposes spiritual opening, in order to recognize the Manifestation of God in daily life. If it is not accompanied by Hope and Love, it does not fully unite the faithful to Jesus Christ.
Hope
Hope, from latin spes, is the Theological Virtue which responds to the attainment of Eternal Happiness of human beings. Hope is the confident waiting of a specific event that, in the case of Christian Theology, refers to the fulfillment of Jesus Christ’s promises: the Kingdom of Heaven and the Eternal Life. Hope, powered by Faith, permits men to commit themselves in building the Kingdom of God and find a sense to work, find strength to face the difficulties and patience while waiting.
Charity, or Love
Love, used as a synonym of Charity, is the Theological Virtue that permits man to love God above all else and his neighbor as himself, for God’s sake. Just as God loves any creature, in the Catholic doctrine Christians are invited to love their neighbors unconditionally, especially children, poor people and enemies.
According to Saint Paul Apostle, Love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, it does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres and it will never end because Love never fails.
Without Love, human existence does not make any sense. Love is superior to all the virtues and it is the first of the Theological Virtues.
And now these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13,13
Taken from savellireligious.com
The Four Cardinal Virtues
Prudence (Wisdom), Fortitude (Courage), Temperance (Self-control), & Justice (Fairness)
There are four primary moral virtues, which are called the cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The word cardinal derives from the Latin cardo, meaning “hinge.” Consequently, these four virtues are called “cardinal” because all other virtues are categorized under them and hinge upon them. The Book of Wisdom of the Old Testament states, “For [Wisdom] teaches temperance and prudence, justice and fortitude, and nothing in life is more useful for men than these” (8:7).
Prudence
Prudence, the “mother” of all of the virtues, is the virtue by which a person recognizes his moral duty and the good means to accomplish it. Actually, prudence is part of the definition of goodness. A person can be prudent and good only simultaneously. No other virtue can contradict what is prudent. Therefore, what is prudent is substantially what is good, and prudence is the measure of justice, temperance, and fortitude.
Justice
St. Thomas Aquinas defined justice as “a habit whereby a man renders to each one his due with constant and perpetual will.” The first duty in justice is toward God. We have the duty to pray, to worship, to obey the God who has shown such great love to each one of us and whom we must love above all things. In justice to God, we uphold vows taken to Him and make sacrifices for the sake of His love, such as accepting martyrdom rather than abandoning the faith.
The second duty in justice is toward our neighbor. A person must not only refrain from doing evil toward his neighbor, but also do what is good toward his neighbor. As such, a person must respect the rights of each person and establish relationships which promote equity among all people and build-up the common good.
The virtue of justice has three dimensions: commutative or reciprocal justice, distributive justice, and legal or general justice. Commutative or reciprocal justice governs relationships between individuals.
Fortitude
The virtue of fortitude enables a person to stand firm against and endure the hardships of life, and to remain steadfast in pursuing what is good. Here such steadfastness and endurance reflect the soul’s clinging onto what is good. Genuine fortitude does not entail making sacrifices or risking one’s life arbitrarily or foolishly. However, genuine fortitude is always exercised in accord with reason, assesses the true nature and value of things (i.e. asking whether something really worth sacrificing for), and involves a just cause. Fortitude strengthens the individual’s resolve to resist temptation, overcome personal weaknesses, and make sacrifices for what is good.
To have fortitude does not mean that a person is immune from fear. Instead, a person with fortitude recognizes fear, but does not allow fear to prevent him from doing what is good or, worse, to do what is evil. Think then of how important fortitude is to withstand peer pressure. Fortitude strengthens a person to conquer the fear of death or persecution, and even to make the ultimate sacrifice of martyrdom.
Temperance
The virtue of temperance enables a person to keep his passions and emotions under the control of reason. While temperance moderates a person’s attraction to pleasures and gives balance in the use of created goods, it also involves using these goods in a good way. Here one approaches pleasures and the use of created goods in the light of faith, of reason, and of one’s own vocation and circumstance of life.
The exercise of temperance includes two essential parts: a sense of shame and a sense of honor. The sense of shame causes a person to fear feeling the disgrace, confusion, or embarrassment from being intemperate in action. The sense of honor causes a person to want to feel the dignity, esteem, or love for practicing temperance. On one hand, the sense of shame prevents a person from acting intemperately and, thereby, sinfully; while on the other hand, the sense of honor, inspires a person to act temperately and, thereby, meritoriously.
“You must be made perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect”
-Matthew 5:48
Taken from catholicstraightanswers.com
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