I’m starting a series on virtue! I have wanted to do a series on the virtues of the Catholic Church since the website went up. So I decided to write an introduction to this series to give a little info on the virtues. This post will give an introduction on why these are important and why in order to grow as a Catholic you need to pursue growth in virtue.
What is Virtue?
The Catechism defines virtue as a “habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. “(CCC 1803)
To grow in the Catholic Faith, you need to give the best of yourself. You need to do good for others. One thing the Catechism makes clear is that this firm disposition is habitual. We need to continuously choose to be virtuous, and it needs to be firm in order to be effective. Once we are able to do this, we can accomplish so much in our life. By pursuing virtue, we pursue our best selves.
The Seven Virtues
There are many virtues in life and all of them are designed to help yourself grow as a person and toward goodness. The Catholic Church has a list of the seven most important virtues.
- Prudence
- Justice
- Fortitude
- Temperance
- Faith
- Hope
- Charity
One thing to keep in mind is that these virtues are not the seven lively virtues, which oppose the seven deadly sins. These different set of virtues and the sins they oppose deserve their own series, which I will work on in the future.
Cardinal Virtues
Prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance are all considered the cardinal virtues. They are the four pivotal virtues around which all human virtues are linked. Human virtues are the perfections of the intellect and will that cause a person to be morally good. They help people order their passions and guide their actions according to reason and faith. You need to acquire these virtues by human effort, through actions of habitual virtue, education, and perseverance.
Theological Virtues
Faith, hope, and charity are the theological virtues. While the cardinal virtues are acquired through human effort, these theological virtues are different. We do not find these virtues through intelligence or human effort. They are found through God, are meant to bring us to God, and they are centered around God.
Pursing Virtue
To pursue virtue is to reorient yourself toward God. We are made to exhibit each of these virtues, to be virtuous people. It is only after the fall, when humanity entered into original sin, that virtues became something so rare and hard to achieve. So because of our fallen nature, we must make virtue a habit, we have to pursue it like a well-earned prize. You need to pursure virtue if you want happiness, and you need virtue to be on the path toward Heaven.
So keep yourself updated on my future posts. This series will go on for the next several weeks. And keep pursuing that virtue. So you can grow as a person and a Catholic!