Michael Brooks
In the Catholic Church, there are three distinct categories of virtues: Cardinal Virtues, Theological Virtues, and Capital Virtues. The Cardinal Virtues are four moral virtues that form the foundation for the others. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The Theological Virtues are faith, hope, and charity, and are considered the most important characteristics in a Christian's life.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cardinal Virtues | Temperance, Justice, Prudence, Fortitude |
| Theological Virtues | Faith, Hope, Charity |
| Other Virtues | Meekness, Diligence, Humility, Patience, Chastity, Piety, Veracity, Obedience |
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What You'll Learn
- Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude
- Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity
- Meekness: Overcoming anger and resentment, and cultivating patience
- Diligence: Fulfilling duties in life, even when they become tiresome
- Cardinal Virtues etymology: Derived from the Latin 'cardo', meaning hinge
Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude
In the Catholic Church, there are three distinct categories of virtues: Cardinal Virtues, Theological Virtues, and Capital Virtues. The Cardinal Virtues are four moral virtues that form the foundation for the others. The term "cardinal" comes from the Latin "cardo", which means "hinge". These four virtues are called "cardinal" because all other virtues hinge on them.
The four Cardinal Virtues are Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude.
Prudence is the primary cardinal virtue, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, because it is concerned with the intellect. It is the ability to distinguish between good and bad in a given situation and to take appropriate action. It is also referred to as wisdom or practical wisdom, and it guides the judgment of conscience. With prudence, we can apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about good and evil.
Justice is the moral virtue that involves a constant and firm will to give their due to God and their neighbour. Justice towards God is called the "virtue of religion". Justice towards other people means respecting their rights and establishing harmony in relationships, promoting equity and the common good. In art, justice is traditionally depicted as a blindfolded woman holding equally balanced scales, symbolising that justice should not be influenced by prejudice.
Temperance is the moral virtue of moderating the attraction of pleasures and providing balance in the use of created goods. It involves self-control, self-restraint, moderation, and discretion. Temperance ensures that the will has mastery over instincts and keeps desires within honourable limits.
Fortitude is the moral virtue that provides firmness in difficulties and constancy in pursuing good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and overcome obstacles in the moral life. Fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even the fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It allows a person to remain steadfast in their love for God and protects them from being disturbed by misfortune.
These four Cardinal Virtues are praised under other names in many passages of Scripture and form a virtue theory of ethics. They were initially derived from Plato and later expounded upon by Aristotle, the Stoics, and Cicero.
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Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity
In the Catholic Church, there are three distinct categories of virtues: Cardinal Virtues, Theological Virtues, and Capital Virtues. The Cardinal Virtues are four moral virtues that form the foundation for the others. The word 'cardinal' comes from the Latin 'cardo', meaning 'hinge'. The four Cardinal Virtues are prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude.
The Theological Virtues, on the other hand, are faith, hope, and charity (or love). These virtues are called 'theological' because their object is God, and they direct us towards Him. They are also referred to as divine virtues because they are infused in us by God alone and cannot be obtained through human effort.
Faith is the theological virtue that gives us the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. It is our firm belief in God and all that He has revealed to us through the Church. Faith is an intellectual virtue, and it manifests itself in how we live our daily lives and treat others.
Hope is the theological virtue that allows us to trust in God and desire eternal life with Him. It is a matter of the perfection of the will, and its opposite is the sin of despair.
Charity, or love, is the greatest of the theological virtues. It is the virtue by which we love God above all else and our neighbors as ourselves for the love of God. Charity binds all virtues together in perfect harmony and gives them order. It raises human love to the perfection of God's love.
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Meekness: Overcoming anger and resentment, and cultivating patience
In the Catholic Church, there are three distinct categories of virtues: Cardinal Virtues, Theological Virtues, and Capital Virtues. The Cardinal Virtues are four moral virtues that form the foundation for the others: prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude.
Meekness is one of the seven Catholic virtues, which helps to overcome anger and resentment and cultivate patience. It is not cowardice, human respect, timidness, or weakness. Rather, it strengthens other virtues such as zeal and fortitude.
Saint Francis de Sales, renowned for his gentleness of spirit, advises:
> Take care to practice well the humble meekness that you owe to everybody, for it is the virtue of virtues which our Lord greatly recommended to us.
He also suggests that when feeling angry, one should refrain from speaking or acting until the feelings of anger are under control.
Saint Vincent de Paul, who also had a fiery temper, conquered his anger with the practice of virtue. He is quoted as saying:
> If possible, never become angry and always reject any pretext for allowing anger to gain admission to your heart, for once it has entered, you will no longer be able to banish it when you desire, or moderate it. If, however, you find that because of your weakness it has gained a foothold in your heart, summon all your willpower and see that you set your heart at peace.
Father John Hardon defines meekness as:
> The virtue that moderates anger and its disorderly effects. It is a form of temperance that controls every inordinate movement of resentment at another person’s character or behavior.
Meekness is a powerful virtue that can defuse anger and disarm the violent. It brings inner peace, allowing one to fulfill their duties towards God and their neighbors.
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Diligence: Fulfilling duties in life, even when they become tiresome
In the Catholic Church, there are three distinct categories of virtues: Cardinal Virtues, Theological Virtues, and Capital Virtues. The Cardinal Virtues are four moral virtues that form the foundation for the others. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
Diligence is one of the seven capital virtues, or lively virtues, which stand in opposition to the seven deadly sins. It is the virtue that encourages us to fulfill our duties in life, even when they become tiresome. These duties include our work, home, country, church, and families.
When faced with trials, such as the loss of a loved one or a difficult spouse, it is easy to want to move on. However, diligence requires us to persevere and see our responsibilities through. Prayer is an important aspect of cultivating diligence. It is believed that the diligence shown towards loved ones and others will be rewarded in the afterlife.
Diligence is also one of the seven heavenly virtues when combined with the four cardinal virtues. These seven heavenly virtues are prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope, and charity.
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Cardinal Virtues etymology: Derived from the Latin 'cardo', meaning hinge
The Catholic Church recognizes three distinct categories of virtues: Cardinal Virtues, Theological Virtues, and Capital Virtues. The Cardinal Virtues are four moral virtues that form the foundation for the other virtues. The term "cardinal" comes from the Latin word "cardo," which means "hinge." These virtues are referred to as "cardinal" because all other virtues fall under and hinge upon them.
The four Cardinal Virtues are:
- Prudence: The ability to discern good from bad in a given situation and take appropriate action. St. Thomas Aquinas considered prudence the primary cardinal virtue as it is concerned with the intellect.
- Justice: Traditionally depicted as a blindfolded woman holding equally balanced scales, symbolizing impartiality and fairness.
- Fortitude or Courage: This virtue was associated with the warrior class in Plato's ideal city, as it strengthens their fighting spirit.
- Temperance or Restraint: Practicing self-control, abstention, discretion, and moderation. Temperance was most closely associated with the producing classes in Plato's ideal city, such as farmers and craftsmen, to moderate their animal appetites.
These virtues were initially derived from Plato in the "Republic Book IV, 426-435", and were later expounded upon by Aristotle in the "Nicomachean Ethics." They were also recognized by the Stoics and further expanded upon by Cicero. In the Christian tradition, they are listed in the Deuterocanonical books in the "Wisdom of Solomon 8:7" and "4 Maccabees 1:18–19."
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Frequently asked questions
There are seven Catholic virtues in total, comprising four cardinal virtues and three theological virtues.
The four cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude.
The three theological virtues are faith, hope, and charity.
The seven virtues in Catholicism are prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope, and charity.
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