CL - Lesson 5

• leadership in the community was associated in ancient times with power and domination
• a virtue is a foundation upon which a full and worthy life is built
• virtue is moral excellence that makes a person worthy of leadership in the community
• humility is defined as the proper understanding of ourselves in. relation to God and others
• humility is to see ourselves as God sees us within the human community
• the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance
• humility is truly the foundational christian virtue - and its concrete expression is service
• service is providing for the needs of others, even in lowly and demeaning conditions
• love is not boastful or arrogant nor does it seek its own interest
• holiness is found in “the perfection of love”
• the term cardinal comes form the latin word cardo, meaning hinge
• cardinal virtue is a hinge on which other virtues swing
• cardinal virtues are the most ancient of virtues
• the ancient greek philosophers looked at the cardinal virtues as the requirements for leadership in the community
• the practical intellect - for the understanding of what must be done
• the will - for the decision regarding what must be done
• the irascible tendencies - for the ability to respond to grave and urgent situations
• the concupiscible tendencies - for the quest of basic human needs, such and food, drink, rest and sex.
• prudence - for the perfection of the practical intellect
• justice - for the perfection of the will
• fortitude - for the perfection of irascible tendencies
• temperance - for the perfection of the concupiscible tendencies
• prudence is the right way of doing things
• prudence is acquired through constant exposure to situations where decisions - often urgent - must be made
• justice is the determination to give whatever is due to everyone
• fortitude is the steadfast determination to pursue whatever is needed in the face of danger
• fear refers to the natural human reaction to flee from the threat of some impending evil
• fortitude entails overcoming fear
• temperance is the control on e exercises over the desire to indulge in the satisfaction of basic human needs
• faith, hope, and love are the three theological virtues
• the term theological is the greek word for God - Theos
• faith perfects a person practical intellect regarding the understanding of present realities
• hope perfects a persons practical intellect regarding the understanding of future realities
• hope is characterized by balance
• love perfects a person will do that its decisions are all for God and the good of others
• 7 capital virtues are: humility, generosity, kindness, patience, chastity, temperance, and diligence
• symmetry - the sense of proportion whereby one cannot have too much of one virtue and too little of another
• vision - a way of seeing the world
• character - the personal determination to pursue one’s vision
• narrative is the story that can be drawn form one’s entire life