The Virtues
What is a virtue? And what does it take to be a virtuous person?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this: “A virtue is
person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The
virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual
powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.” (CCC
1803)
Being virtuous does not happen by accident and does not “come naturally.”
It is something that must be worked at. The Catechism states: “The
moral virtues are acquired by human effort. They are the fruit and seed
of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being for
communion with divine love.” (CCC 1804) In other words, to practice
virtue, one must practice being virtuous!
Here’s one way to look at it. Say a man accidently drops a $20 bill without
knowing it. A bad person will grab the money and walk away, not
giving it a second thought. (Finders, keepers!) A good person will pick
up the bill, struggle with the decision about whether to keep it or give
it back and will eventually return it to its rightful owner. The virtuous
person will pick up the bill and immediately return it, without giving it
a second thought. As the Catechism says, “The virtuous man is he who
freely practices the good.” (CCC 1804)
There are four virtues that “play a pivotal role and accordingly are called
‘cardinal’; all the others are grouped around them. They are: prudence,
justice, fortitude and temperance.” (CCC 1805) All “human virtues are
rooted in the theological virtues…for the theological virtues relate directly
to God.” (CCC 1812) The theological virtues are faith, hope and
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charity.
For further study:
CCC 1803-1845