Catholic Growth

In continuation of my series on the seven virtues of the Catholic Church, I am covering fortitude this week.

As we learn more about the saints we are amazed at their bravery, perseverance, and patience. Through these incredible traits they accomplish such incredible things for the Church. All of these saints had the virtue of fortitude.

Fortitude comes from the Latin word, fortis, which means strength. But this virtue is not about physical strength, it is about the strength of will, the strength of character, and strength against fear. The virtue of fortitude is intertwined with courage, and to be a Catholic in today’s world you need to be courageous.

St Thomas describes fortitude as something that “behaves well in bearing all manner of adversity.” Fortitude is what we need to stay firm in difficulties. It allows us to have resolve in the face of temptations and hardships. The martyrs of the Church all have this virtue in abundance, as they all faced death and had the resolve to follow Christ.

Parts of Fortitude

The integral parts of fortitude can be described as magnanimity, magnificence, patience, and perseverance. Magnanimity and magnificence help us accomplish the most we can in fortitude, and patience and perseverance help fortitude last.

Magnanimity in this context draws our attention to the fact that we are truly wonderfully made by God. God took so much care to create each and every one of us, and the fact that He wants us to participate in His plan is such an incredible thought to behold. Through this part of fortitude, we realize we need to act in a way befitting this wonderful gift from Our Creator. Are we acting like a child of God or a beast of the world?

Magnificence is the creation of great things. When we plan to create great things, we often think about the cost and risk of even greater costs. This part of fortitude allows us to push forward despite a risk of cost, so that we can create and accomplish things of greatness.

Patience is an ability to endure suffering. This part describes our ability to endure suffering without being sorrowful or defeated. When bad things happen we need to have enough patience to carry on toward our goal, because by feeling sad and defeated could keep us from accomplishing what we need to do.

Perseverance is an ability to endure obstacles, most notably time. In todays world, immediate gratification is what people want. It’s so discouraging to people when they see that there might be a lot of time and effort before they see results. Other obstacles might include not being in good physical shape, not being able to speak well, or any others that would keep people from accomplishing their goals. To have good perseverance, you need to keep going and keep fighting.

Why Should We Develop Fortitude?

Fortitude is so necessary in our world, especially now in the time we are living in. With fortitude, we are able to hold firm to our beliefs while being shouted at or talked down to. When someone is speaking lies against us because of our beliefs we need to stand firm. If we are even threatened to abandon our beliefs or face actual physical harm, we need to stand up for truth.

We also need to safeguard all of our other virtues. Fortitude can be described as a sword and shield, defending all that is good in us. It keeps us from failing under pressure when we are faced with fear of persecution or abandonment. Having a well developed virtue of fortitude helps you practice those other virtues you have developed in intense situations, instead of falling into a sin or vice.

How Do We Develop This Virtue?

The first thing I will mention is that one of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit is actually fortitude. The Holy Spirit wants to flood us with graces to obtain this virtue. The first thing we should do is pray to the Holy Spirit often, to instill in our hearts a strong virtue of fortitude.

The other thing you need to do to improve your fortitude is practice. Fasting is a great way to do this. It teaches us patience to accept when we don’t get what we want. Fasting also teaches us to persevere for a greater good.

Fortitude is one of the cardinal virtues. That means that you can increase this virtue through continuous practice. Every time you face some sort of adversity, take time to assess the situation. Remind yourself what you want to accomplish and resolve not to give up. Question why you are afraid. Even if you fail you need to keep trying and you will increase your fortitude little by little.

Another source of increasing your fortitude is to read stories of heroism. Every good story has a hero that faces conflict. By reading stories like these we feel inspired to strive for greatness and face the adversities that assail us.

So I encourage everyone to increase their fortitude. Persevere, have courage, and be resilient!