fortitude enables a person to stand firm against feeling the disgrace, confusion or embarrassment

and endure the hardships of life and to remain from being intemperate in action. The sense of Living a Virtuous Life
steadfast in pursuing what is good. Here such honor causes a person to want to feel the dignity,
steadfastness and endurance reflect the soul's esteem or love for practicing temperance. On one Fr. William Saunders, PhD
clinging onto what is good. Genuine fortitude hand, the sense of shame prevents a person from
does not entail making sacrifices or risking one's acting intemperately and, thereby sinfully; while St. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians
life arbitrarily or foolishly. However, genuine on the other hand, the sense of honor, inspires a captured the idea of virtue and the living of a
fortitude is always exercised in accord with person to act temperately and, thereby, virtuous life: “My brothers, your thoughts should
reason, assesses whether something is really meritoriously. be wholly directed to all that is true, all that
worth sacrificing for and involves a just cause. In all, temperance in action is self- deserves respect, all that is honest, pure,
Fortitude strengthens the individual's resolve to preservation, whereas intemperance in action is admirable, decent, virtuous or worthy of praise”
resist temptation, overcome personal weaknesses self-degradation and self-destruction. Virtues (4:8). With this in mind, the classic definition of
and make sacrifices for what is good. aligned with temperance include abstinence, virtue is a habit or firm disposition which inclines
To have fortitude does not mean that a person sobriety, chastity, purity, continence, humility, a person to do good and avoid evil. Characterized
is immune from fear. Instead, a person with gentleness, clemency, modesty and lack of greed. by stability, a virtuous person not only strives to
fortitude recognizes fear, but does not allow fear On the contrary, vices opposed to temperance be a good person, but also seeks what is good and
to prevent him from doing what is good or, include gluttony, drunkenness, unchastity, chooses to act in a good way. Aristotle defined
worse, to do what is evil. Think then of how impurity, incontinence, pride, wrath and greed. virtue as “that which makes both a person and
important fortitude is to withstand peer pressure. what he does good.”
Fortitude strengthens a person to conquer the fear The practice and development of the four Dr. Joseph Pieper, one of the great Thomist
of death or persecution and even to make the cardinal virtues are essential to anyone's spiritual theologians and an expert on virtue, provided this
ultimate sacrifice of martyrdom. life. However, as the old saying goes, "Easier said explanation: “The doctrine of virtue... has things
Virtues stemming from fortitude include than done." Being the poor victims of original sin, to say about this person; it speaks both of the kind
magnanimity, which inclines a person to perform each of us has difficulties living a virtuous life. of being which is his when he enters the world, as
great works in every virtue; munificence, which Therefore, we need the abundant graces our Lord a consequence of his createdness, and the kind of
inclines a person to perform great physical works; offers through prayer, the frequent reception of the being he ought to strive toward and attain to — by
patience, which inclines a person to endure sacraments and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. being prudent, just, temperate and brave. The
present evils; and perseverance, which inclines a Looking to the example of the saints and invoking doctrine of virtue is one form of the doctrine of
person to continue steadfastly in the pursuit of their prayers also strengthen our resolution for obligation, but one by nature free of regimentation
virtue. Vices contrary to fortitude include holiness. We must never forget our Lord's and restriction” (The Four Cardinal Virtues).
timidity, recklessness, presumption, ambition, challenge: "You must be made perfect as your On one hand, an individual can acquire
vainglory, pusillanimity, inconstancy and Heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48). Through the human virtues through his own effort under the
pertinacity. practice of virtue, assisted by God's grace and the guidance of reason. Through education, by
Finally, the virtue of temperance enables a aid of the saints and angels, we can meet the deliberately choosing to do what is good, and
person to keep his passions and emotions under challenge. through perseverance, a person acquires and
the control of reason. While temperance strengthens virtue.
moderates a person's attraction to pleasures and On the other hand, with the help of divine
gives balance in the use of created goods, it also Copyright © Arlington Catholic Herald, Inc. grace from God, the individual finds greater
involves using these goods in a good way. Here All rights reserved. Used with permission. strength and facility to practice these virtues.
one approaches pleasures and the use of created Printed with ecclesiastical approval Through these grace-assisted virtues, which we
goods in the light of faith, of reason and of one's would now call moral virtues, he gains self-
own vocation and circumstance of life. mastery of his weakened nature due to original
Pope John Paul II Society of Evangelists
The exercise of temperance includes two P.O. Box 5584, Bakersfield, California 93388 sin. In sum, these virtues help to forge that
essential parts: a sense of shame and a sense of E-mail: info@pjpiisoe.org Phone: 661 393-3239 Christian character and to motivate a person to
honor. The sense of shame causes a person to fear www.pjpiisoe.org Pamphlet 071W become God-like, in the best sense of the term.
 There are four primary moral virtues, which good. Be on guard: the falsification or denial of doing evil toward his neighbor, but also do what is
are called the cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, recollection is a grave impediment to exercising good toward his neighbor. As such, a person must
fortitude, and temperance. The word cardinal prudence. respect the rights of each person and establish
derives from the Latin cardo, meaning “hinge.” Docilitas means that a person must have docility, relationships which promote equity among all
Consequently, these four virtues are called an open-mindedness, which makes the person people and build up the common good.
“cardinal” because all other virtues are receptive to the advice and counsel of other people. The virtue of justice has three dimensions:
categorized under them and hinge upon them. A person should always seek and heed the wise communitive or reciprocal justice, distributive
The Book of Wisdom of the Old Testament counsel of those who are older, more experienced justice, and legal or general justice. Commutative
states, “For [Wisdom] teaches temperance and and more knowledgeable. or reciprocal justice governs relationships
Finally, the exercise of prudence involves
prudence, justice and fortitude, and nothing in life between individuals. Strictly speaking, here is
solertia, which is sagacity. Here a person has a clear
is more useful for men than these” (8:7). contract justice. The meaning of the contract
vision of the situation at hand, foresees the goal and
Prudence, the “mother” of all of the virtues, is consequences of an action, considers the special
between individuals is to identify each party's
the virtue by which a person recognizes his moral circumstances involved, and overcomes the rights and to guarantee one party's claim to a
duty and the good means to accomplish it. temptation of injustice, cowardice, or intemperance. certain benefit as much as the other's obligation to
Actually, prudence is part of the definition of With solertia, a person acts in a timely manner but provide that benefit.
goodness. A person can be prudent and good only with due reflection and consideration to decide what Looking at the broader spectrum of justice,
simultaneously. No other virtue can contradict is good and how to do the good. With a well-formed distributive justice orders the relationship of the
what is prudent. Therefore, what is prudent is conscience attuned to God’s truth, and with the community as a whole to its individual members.
substantially what is good, and prudence is the proper exercise of memoria, docilitas, and solertia, a In justice, the whole community must promote the
measure of justice, temperance, and fortitude. person will act prudently. common good for each person, not just the
A prudent person looks at the concrete reality Contrary vices to prudence include majority. Therefore, those entrusted with the care
of a situation with a clear, honest objectivity; precipitance (acting impulsively), inconstancy of the common good must make sure individual
references and applies the moral truths (e.g., the (changing resolutions too quickly), negligence and members are given what is their due. For example,
10 Commandments or the teachings of the losing sight of one’s supernatural destiny, namely in justice, the government must insure that each
Church); makes a moral judgment; and then eternal life. Perhaps the last vice is most prevalent person has proper food, clothing, shelter, medical
commands an action. Moreover, prudence also today: too many people act without regard to their care and educational opportunities which are basic
seeks to accomplish the action in a good way — eternal judgment and without setting their sights goods for the dignity of each person. Here one
doing what is good in a good way. on Heaven. The prudent person seeks to always do recognizes the duty of the whole community to
Clearly, prudence is essential for the what is good in the eyes of God so as one day to be care especially for those members who are most
formation and operation of one’s conscience. To joined to His everlasting goodness in Heaven. vulnerable — the unborn, the old, the sick and the
be a prudent person, one must know God’s truth, After all, Jesus asked, “What profit would a man disabled.
just as to have a good conscience, one must know show if he were to gain the whole world and Finally, legal or general justice concerns the
God’s truth. One cannot do what is good if one destroy himself in the process?” (Matthew 16:26). individual's relationship to the whole community.
does not know the principles of truth and St. Thomas Aquinas defined justice as "a habit Every person has the duty to uphold and obey the
goodness. whereby a man renders to each one his due with just laws that insure the common good. For
To prudently examine a situation and then to constant and perpetual will." The first duty in instance, every citizen has a duty to support the
determine a course of action, one must keep in mind justice is toward God. We have the duty to pray, to common good through the defense of the country
three aspects of prudence: memoria, docilitas, and worship, to obey the God Who has shown such or through the payment of taxes (too bad, but
solertia. Memoria simply means having a “true-to- great love to each one of us and Whom we must true).
being” memory which contains real things and love above all things. In justice to God, we uphold Virtues that derive from justice include piety
events as they really are now and were in the past. vows taken to Him and make sacrifices for the (here the proper reverence and service to our
Everyone must learn from his past experiences. sake of His love, such as accepting martyrdom parents, country, and others in legitimate
Remembering what is to be done or avoided from rather than abandoning the faith. authority), obedience, gratitude, veracity,
past experiences helps to alert us to the occasions affability (the proper friendliness and civility
The second duty in justice is toward our
and causes of sin, to prevent us from making the
neighbor. A person must not only refrain from among all) and equity. Next, the virtue of
same mistakes twice, and to inspire us to do what is