Faith

Hope

Love

These virtues are given by God to you at Baptism. All human virtues are rooted in these three.[1] The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character.[2] 

What is meant by Faith?

What is meant by Hope?

What is meant by Love?

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[1] CCC 1812 

[2] CCC 1813 

• Prudence

• Temperance

• Justice

• Fortitiude

What is meant by Prudence?

What is meant by Temperance?

What is meant by Justice?

What is meant by Fortitude?

The cardinal virtues are ordered towards living a good life on earth. The theological virtues on the other hand, relate directly to God and the life to come (they also have ramifications in this life). They deal more so with living a holy life. You will find these virtues listed in
1 Corinthians 13:1-13.

Cardinal virtues rely on human effort cooperating with God’s grace and a repeated striving for the good while you journey here on earth. Were as the theological virtues are infused in you by God at baptism and are not the result of human effort. They are free gifts from God, which flow from Him.

Faith is the theological virtue by which you believe in God, believe all that He has said and revealed to mankind, and all that His Holy Church proposes for your belief, because he is truth itself. By faith “man freely commits his entire self to God.[1]  Faith is a gift given freely by God. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, you must not only keep your faith, and live by it, you are required to profess it as well. [2]  Professing faith is not only done by word, but also by deed. 

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[1] CCC 1814

[2] CCC 1816

Hope is the theological virtue by which you desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as your supreme happiness. It is placing your trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on your own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.[1]

Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.    Hebrews  10:23    

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[1] CCC 1817 -  1821 

Charity is the theological virtue by which you love God above all things for his own sake, and your neighbor as yourself for the love of God.[1]   Jesus makes Charity the new commandment. [2]

9   As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. 10  If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. Jn 15:9-10

Of the three theological virtues, Love is the only one which is eternal. After death, when the soul goes to heaven, faith and hope are no longer needed. Love on the other hand is fulfilled in the presence of God. The unfortunate soul which dies and goes to hell only knows love by its absence and therefore is tormented for all eternity. Nor are they comforted by any Faith or Hope because those are absent as well.

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[1] CCC 1822

[2] CCC 1823 – 1829

The moral (cardinal) virtue of Prudence is the practice of being cautious by the use of good judgment. Prudence disposes the person to practical reason to discern the true good in every circumstance and attain the resolve to choose the right means to achieve it.[1] This includes avoiding those areas of temptation. 

Prudence is the virtue which immediately guides the judgment of conscience. With the help of this virtue, you apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid. 

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[1] CCC 1806 

The moral virtue of Temperance is moderation or self-restraint. It could even be abstinence.  This moral virtue moderates the attraction of pleasures, especially inordinate pleasures and provides balance in the use of created (material) goods. Material goods would be anything we consume or encounter in our lives: food, drink, marketing, media, recreation, time spent doing things, even idle time.[1]

11 For the grace of God has appeared, saving all 12 and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age,                                                                                        Titus 2:11-12

The practice of Temperance ensures your will’s mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. You use this to balance those things which may conflict with your spiritual growth. The temperate person does not use created goods too much or too little but acts with moderation. It is the avoidance of overindulgence of anything. 

The virtue of chastity comes under the cardinal virtue of temperance, which seeks to permeate the passions and appetites of the senses with reason.                        CCC 2341

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[1] CCC 1809 

The moral virtue of Justice consists in the constant and firm will to give your due to God and neighbor.[1] Justice toward God is called the “virtue of religion.” It is just to worship and adore God. Why? Because God is rightly due to be praised and adored. God deserves this, and it is His right.

Justice toward neighbor is the disposition where you respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good according to God’s will.

The seventh commandment (Thou shalt not steal) forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of one’s neighbor and wronging him in any way with respect to his goods.

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[1] CCC 1807 

The moral virtue of Fortitude ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good.[1]  It is with fortitude where you maintain your resolve to do moral good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life.

The virtue of fortitude enables you to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes you even to renounce and sacrifice your life in defense of a just cause. It is the foundation of courage, a courage to do the right thing even when it is difficult

Fortitude makes firm your decision to avoid and fight temptations. Here also implies a spiritual assent through the grace of God to deal with and overcome  temptations.[2] It is a good thing to practice fortitude in order to form holy habits for living a Christian life. 

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[1] CCC 1808

[2] CCC 2848