Uplifting Reflections on the 7 Values

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Saint Mary Joseph Rossello, a devout Italian Religious Sister and a skilled teacher who lived in the 19th Century, once wrote, “Good example is the most efficacious apostolate. You must be as lighted lanterns and shine like brilliant chandeliers among men. By your good example and your words, animate others to know and love God.”

But how do we live lives that are pleasing to God and inspiring to the people around us? As Christians, we believe that listening to the Word of God, following the teachings of Jesus and praying are keys to living our faith in a holy, honorable way that attests to the glory of God. Receiving the Holy Eucharist and learning to recognize and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit are other important ways that we can nurture our faith and live inspirational lives.

And there are additional, less obvious things that we can do to help our lights to shine as well. One of them is to become aware of and meditate on the three theological virtues and the four cardinal virtues. While the theological virtues consist of faith, hope and charity (love), the four cardinal virtues include prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance.

Although it’s certainly good to be aware of sinful behaviors and desires that we should strive to avoid, it’s also important to know what virtues can help us along our paths to become better Christians. Here are seven reflections on these virtues. If we embrace them, we increase our chances of fulfilling the urging of Jesus to let our light shine.

Faith

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According to the “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity (love) “dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity.” It states that God places these three virtues in the souls of all the faithful to make it possible for us to morally act as His children. And while each virtue is vital in itself, it is easy to see how they are all intertwined.

In December 2014, Pope Francis spoke to a crowd about the amazing impact that faith has on the world and how it’s closely related to the virtue of charity (love.) “Faith truly moves the mountains of indifference and apathy, of disinterest and sterile withdrawal into the self,” he said. “Faith opens the gates of charity, making us want to imitate Jesus, urging us to do good, instilling the courage to act according to the example of the Good Samaritan.”

Hope

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The virtue of hope is also strongly connected to that of faith. If we have faith in God and in Jesus, Our Savior, our hope is undoubtedly strengthened. Our belief that Jesus bore our sins and infirmities on the cross to save us reminds us of how much He loves us. And that love and astounding gift of grace nurtures our hope. So, it’s clear that what Pope Francis said of faith and charity is equally true of hope and faith. Faith opens the gates of hope, and when we have hope, we spend less time worrying and more time living out our callings.

In Hebrews 6:19-20, the Apostle Paul writes about the virtue. The passage states “This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil, where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner, becoming high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Charity (Love)

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church illuminates the magnificent importance of the virtue of love. In its section about the theological virtues, it recalls the words of Jesus when He said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.” It also reminds us of what He calls all of us to do in His words, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

Pope Francis and the former Pope Benedict have also reflected on the power of this virtue. “Benedict XVI has said that ‘closing our eyes to our neighbor also blinds us to God,’ and that love is, in the end, the only light which ‘can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working,’” Pope Francis wrote in “Evangelii Gaudium.” “When we live out a spirituality of drawing nearer to others and seeking their welfare, our hearts are opened wide to the Lord’s greatest and most beautiful gifts. Whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God.”

Prudence

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As it did with the theological virtues, the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the cardinal virtues. It describes them as the four most pivotal human virtues – those virtues that we strive to attain to help us govern our behavior, so that we can lead morally good lives. It further states that prudence is the virtue that “guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure.”

While Saint Augustine, who compared all the cardinal virtues to love, aptly described prudence as “love making wise distinction between what hinders and what helps itself,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that it “immediately guides the judgment of conscience.” It adds “The prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.”

Justice

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When comparing justice to love, St. Augustine said that justice is “love serving only Him who is its object, and therefore rightly ruling.” But it was the saint’s observation about the peace the world needs being the “peace of right order” that inspired Saint John Paul II to once again associate peace with justice when he was pope in 2002. At the same time, he explained how forgiveness is a part of that virtue.

“True peace therefore is the fruit of justice, that moral virtue and legal guarantee which ensures full respect for rights and responsibilities, and the just distribution of benefits and burdens,” he told a crowd. “But because human justice is always fragile and imperfect, subject as it is to the limitations and egoism of individuals and groups, it must include and, as it were, be completed by the forgiveness which heals and rebuilds troubled human relations from their foundations. This is true in circumstances great and small, at the personal level or on a wider, even international scale. Forgiveness is in no way opposed to justice, as if to forgive meant to overlook the need to right the wrong done. It is rather the fullness of justice...”

Fortitude

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In a world where gargantuan industries are built upon foundations of sins such as greed and lust, temptation is never far away. The lure of a hollow form of happiness is as close as a laptop, tablet or a smartphone. In addition to being plagued by temptations, many Christians throughout the world are persecuted for being Christian.

So, how can we follow the example of Jesus and set our faces like flint? The answer isn’t that complicated. We need to develop the virtue of fortitude. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines fortitude as the virtue that “ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life.”

Saint Julie Billiart once wrote about how vital the virtue – which is sometimes referred to as courage – is to our world. “Come, my dear daughters, we must have courage…” she wrote. “Great souls are needed, souls having the interests of the greater glory of God at heart.”

Temperance

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While fortitude helps us to stay on a good path, temperance helps us to avoid going down paths that only serve ourselves. For instance, if someone is rude, inconsiderate or vulgar, our natural instincts may fill us with rage. If we give in to those instincts, we’ll probably lash out at the person in anger. But that’s not what God asks of us. And temperance helps us to live lives according to His will. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that temperance “ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable.”

Saint Ephraem once shared some wisdom on how to preserve temperance. And it could just as easily be applied to all the cardinal virtues. “Virtues are formed by prayer,” he said. “Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.”