Virtues

• Theological Virtues

  We believe in God (faith), We love God above all else, and all things in God (charity or love), We yearn for union with God, experienced fully only in the next life but tasted in this one (hope)
• Faith


  The virtue whereby we assent to the truths about God, truths that surpass our reason
• A person of faith does not comprehend God, but he or she is habitually disposed to accept certain beliefs about God and to discern what ought to be believed and what ought not to be believed about God
• Faith inspires us to do all we can in tandem, rather than apart from God
• People of faith see the world as blessed, see creation as a gift, and see other persons as neighbors they are called to love
• Faith is not just an intellectual thing but a whole life of responding daily to God's care by caring for ourselves and for others
• Like the disciples in the Gospel, who were caught off guard by the turbulent storm


  This unexpected covid-19 pandemic makes us afraid and lost
• We have to be a person of great faith especially this time
• Hope


  The virtue that focuses our lives on God, but specifically on our future happiness with God
• At this point in time, we should be hopeful and passionate in the offering of prayer and service especially for this pandemic to come to an end
• We must steadfastly cling to God, confident that God accompanies us and assists us, and will provide what we need to reach the greatest possibility for our lives
• Charity/Love


  The virtue whereby we love God for His own sake and a state whereby our desires are uniformly ordered to God
• Charity directs everything we do, and thus brings every other virtue to its utmost possible perfection, so that all our actions, no matter how small, have supernatural bearings
• Christ must be our principal mentor, guide, and example
• If Christians are called to have the same mind or attitude that we see in Christ (Phil 2:5), then they are to witness in their own lives the costly, but truly life-giving goodness of Jesus
• When we love, we act so that others and ourselves might flourish
• The Christian virtue of love will be central to our living in this crisis
• Cardinal Virtues

  Prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance
• Prudence


  Knowing how to make thoughtful and wise decisions
• Prudence aims to make everything we do contribute to what we take to be the ultimate good of our lives
• The most sought-after virtue at this time is prudence
• Justice


  The habit of readiness which inclines one to give others what is due to them
• Justice teaches us that the wellbeing of individuals and community are interrelated in such a way that what promotes one promotes the other, and what harms one harms the other as well
• The current coronavirus pandemic gives us an opportunity to practice respect for everyone's rights without distinction of rank or position
• Courage/Fortitude


  A virtue that strengthens us so that we can overcome the fears, difficulties, setbacks, and dangers that challenge us in life
• Perseverance gives us the resolution we need to stand firm in our convictions when we are tempted to betray or abandon them because of fear or pressure
• We are witnessing many acts of courage today that provide inspiration and underlines the power of every person
• Temperance


  The knowledge of how to balance and integrate the various desires, appetites, and attractions of life
• Practicing temperance means taming or calming our impulses against excess and governing ourselves by reason
• Virtues in moral life refers to any developed capacity of mind or will to accomplish moral good
• Habits form who we are and what we do
• Virtues are skills that enable us to achieve excellence in goodness in whichever way it can best be done