Chapter 15 The Life of Virtue For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (2 Peter 1:5-7) Introduction Last week we learned that there are habits that can be obstacles to our pursuit of Holiness. There are also habits that can help us. We must consciously work to be on the correct path and strive to acquire the faith to remain on this path. This brings us to Virtue. Defined as a power in our soul that enables us to perform good actions easily and to avoid bad actions. Virtues can be Natural or Supernatural in nature. o Natural Virtues: acquired through repeated action such as being honest. Like anything we strive to be good at natural vices take persistence. o Supernatural Virtues: a virtue given to us by God through sanctifying grace. Example Faith and Reason. The Cardinal Virtues The four cardinal virtues are natural. That is, they are known by natural human reason. Cardinal virtues refer to the moral and natural vices that enable us to act rightly in our conduct with others, the world around us, and ourselves. Our word cardinal goes back to the Latin adjective cardinalis, which meant serving as a hinge. or something very important. They serve as the framework for all other moral virtues. The chief four Cardinal Virtues are: Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude.
Prudence This is the chief moral virtue, which directs all others. This Virtue enables us to determine what action is required in a given circumstance and it moves us to do the action. A person who acts using good judgment at all times, knowing the right action to take, has the Virtue of Prudence. Prudence should be operating in all the decisions we make in our lives. We must learn to examine situations clearly so we can deliberately follow the correct moral course of action. Prudence takes time and a great deal of experience. Justice This Virtue prompts us to give to others what is due to them what they deserve. It prompts us to pay our debts, keep promises, obey lays, to keep secrets entrusted to us by others, to play fair, and to respect the property of others. Some debts we cannot repay like those due to God or even our parents, however the Virtue of Justice directs us to show our gratitude and thankfulness to them through love, respect, and loyalty. Fortitude This Virtue enables us to confront difficulties and danger (even death), with courage and hope. Through fortitude we are able to act calmly and reasonable even in the face of great dangers. The martyrs of the Church all demonstrated great fortitude when they chose to be faithful to Christ, despite the terrible deaths that awaited them. Temperance Enables us to control our passions and desires. Allows us to act moderately and reasonable so that we may treat our bodies correctly.
Last week we discussed the vice of gluttony and how over eating (or not eating enough) can be sinful because it can harm our bodies. Temperance enables us to control this desire. Temperance does not only apply to food, we must apply it to all aspects of our lives. A temperate person eats and drinks the right amount. They sleep the right amount. Their lives are balanced. One other additional Cardinal Virtue is the Virtue of Religion Not one of the four chief Cardinal Virtues, but it is very important. It means that we worship God in a manner that is appropriate to His place as Creator and Lord. We show reverence and honor towards God in our daily lives and during Holy Mass. We dress appropriately for Mass. We do not take God s name in Vain. We have and show respect for our Faith. Other Moral Virtues Humility is opposed to Pride Recall that pride causes us to have a high opinion of ourselves and our success. Humility enables us to see the correct way to see ourselves. It helps us to see our blessings as a gift which is not of our own doing but of God s doing. It helps us to see our faults so we can grow from them. Liberality is opposed to Covetousness Recall that covetousness means greed or an uncontrolled desire for earthly things. Materialism which is common in our society today. Liberality is the virtue opposed to greed. It restrains the immoderate affection for wealth and material possessions. It enables a person to give freely of their money, possessions, talents, and so on to worthy purposes. Examples: Supporting the Catholic Church, feeding and helping the poor, supporting pro-life efforts, etc.
Chastity is opposed to Lust Recall that lust is an uncontrolled desire or indulgence in sexual pleasure. Chastity means controlling our sexual desires and understanding sex and love in the manner and purpose for which God created them. Sex is a great gift from God and it is a good thing, but it must only be expressed within marriage. Through sex, God has allowed mankind to share in His creative power. Not even the angels share in this power. Sex unites the married couple as one in God s eyes and this bond cannot be broken. Sex is a complete donation of one person to the other and it is a sacred and holy act. Chastity requires us to abstain from sex outside of marriage so that our purest love can be given to our spouse. We practice Chastity by abstaining from sex until marriage. We must also be chaste with our eyes and abstain from anything that turns us towards lust. The world around us world teaches us the wrong view of sex. TV shows, Movies, Music, friends, even school programs! God s grace is vital to resisting the sexual temptations of the world. Sacraments! Even those who do not get married are called to live chaste lives. Meekness is opposed to Anger Recall that anger is in an uncontrolled expression of displeasure and antagonism. Meekness enables us to be patient under injury or insult. A meek person is able to control their temper even in the most difficult situations. Meekness takes a lot of spiritual strength and courage. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5) Moderation is opposed to Gluttony Recall that gluttony is uncontrollable desire for food or drink. The virtue of moderation enables us to use food and drink sensibly.
We should enjoy food and drink in the proper amount and at the proper times. Too much or too little can harm our bodies. Moderation requires self control. Brotherly Love is opposed to Envy Recall that envy is unhappiness towards the good fortune or success of others. Brotherly love enables us to show true love for our neighbor by praying for them, doing acts of kindness towards them, and helping them in their needs. Diligence is opposed to Sloth Recall that the vice of sloth means being lazy. The virtue of diligence enables us to do our work even when we may not want to. We must be diligent and carry out our religious duties whatever they may be. Be diligent in praying! We must be diligent in our Catholic faith and continue to live it out in a world that is so opposed to it. If we are diligent in our faith we must be willing to make sacrifices in order become Holy. Be diligent in becoming a Saint! VIDEO: Capital Sins and opposing virtues 8 minutes The Theological Virtues They are called theological because they have God as their object. Are supernatural, for they are revealed by God and known by faith. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful (CCC 1813). Their purpose is our participation in the divine nature. We receive the theological virtues at baptism when we receive sanctifying grace. The three Theological Virtues are Faith, Hope and Charity. All come from God and are directed at Him.
Faith Faith is the virtue by which we believe all that God has revealed to us through Christ and His Church. Which Church? The Catholic Church! Faith is necessary for salvation and it enables us to believe those mysteries that are beyond our human understanding. We need faith in order to know our goal which is to get into HEAVEN! Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Class Question: Can you name one mystery of our religion that we believe through faith? The Trinity, the Eucharist, the Incarnation, etc. Hope Hope is the virtue by which we trust in God s promise of eternal salvation. Hope tells us that God will give us the graces and the means to obtain salvation. Hope is faith directed to the future. If you trust God s promises of the incomparable happiness of Heaven, you can give up any earthly good or endure any earthly deprivation for that. Charity/Love 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 So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor 13:13) Christ commands charity to everyone, even our enemies. God created everyone (even our enemies) in His image so we must Love everyone out of our Love for God. Charity can be summed up in the two great commandments spoken of by Jesus. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
We see a lot of hate in the world today. Think about how much the world could be changed if we prayed for people instead of hating them. Theological Virtues continued: All three virtues are necessary if we want to reach heaven, but charity (love) in its highest and fullest sense is the greatest virtue. The theological virtues cannot be acquired through acts of repetition but we can strengthen them through the repetition of certain actions (prayer, study, and ect.). Through prayer we open ourselves up to God s graces. Jesus says: Ask and you will receive! (Matt 7:7) It is through charity that we are moved to obey God s law and to perform good works. Faith is strengthened when we defend our faith and teach it to others. Faith is strengthened by the good works we do. faith without works is dead James 2:14 We can exercise hope by putting our trust in God s plan for us and accepting His will. God will care for us. We can strengthen our charity by observing the commandments and by performing works of mercy (Next week s lesson). Living the Virtuous Life Living the virtuous life is not easy and in fact it s a great challenge. We can meet this challenge through God s help by receiving the sacraments and through prayer. We should always remember the Saints in our struggle. They are proof that living a virtuous life is possible. Lastly and most importantly, we should recall the life of Jesus and follow His example. Apologetics Lesson: Are we Saved by Faith Alone? Protestant Question: Why do you Catholics believe you must do good works in order to get into heaven? I believe we are saved through faith alone and that works have nothing to do with our salvation.
Catholic Reply: As a catholic I do not believe that I am saved through works alone. I believe that I am saved only through God s grace but that we must participate in God s grace through Faith and Works as found in the bible and sacred tradition. The Bible itself states that faith without works is dead. Can a dead faith save someone? I don t think so. Notes: Most Protestants believe that they are saved through faith alone (Sola Fide in Latin) and that works are not necessary for our salvation. They believe that the Catholic Church invented the belief that works are needed for salvation. The protestant position is not scriptural and is easily disproven through scripture. The false doctrine of salvation through Faith Alone was created by Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation in 1517. Bible verses which could be used to defend the Catholic Position: "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone" (James. 2:24). The only place in the bible where the words faith alone appear. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor 13:13) "and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." (1 Cor 13:2) So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed (James 2:14) Can a dead faith save someone? No! Class Questions/Discussion Closing Prayer: Prayer for Charity in Truth Father, your truth is made known in your Word. Guide us to seek the truth of the human person. Teach us the way to love because you are Love. Jesus, you embody Love and Truth. Help us to recognize your face in the poor. Enable us to live out our vocation to bring love and justice to your people. Holy Spirit, you inspire us to transform our world. Empower us to seek the common good for all persons. Give us a spirit of solidarity and make us one human family. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. This prayer is based on Pope Benedict XVI's 2009 encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth)