VIRTUE IS AN ANCIENT IDEA THAT HAS ITS ROOTS IN HUMAN EXCELLENCE. In the time of Aristotle and Plato, virtuous people were revered as much as skilled athletes, successful generals, and benevolent politicians. A virtuous person was someone with integrity, who had aligned their inner moral compass—and outward actions—with what was right, true, and just, even when it was difficult.

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The Virtue of Prudence

Prudence, also known as wisdom or good judgment, is the art of making right decisions. St.

Thomas Aquinas considered prudence to be most important as it dealt with the intellect, which helps guide the way we put the other virtues into action. For St. Thomas, prudence was the first step to holiness because it involved finding the right means to get to a good end.

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The Virtue of Justice

Justice is the virtue that extends outward towards others and God. In the Christian sense, it is rooted in recognizing the innate dignity and respect that people owe one another as children of God—and what we owe God as our universal Father (thanks, praise, and obedience).

Justice can also be seen as that sense of fairness we all have. C. S. Lewis thought this virtue could be used to prove the existence of God by the simple fact that we all carry with us “a moral law which we did not make and cannot quite forget…which we know we ought to obey.”

Salvatore Snaiderbaur of New York City followed this moral law and sense of justice when he founded One City Mission, which offers food, clothing, and resource connection to the homeless. “One City Mission started when I encountered individuals experiencing homelessness on the streets,” Snaiderbaur told Aleteia’s Theresa Civantos Barber.

“Their challenging circumstances had stripped away their hope, and I couldn’t ignore their plight

any longer…I couldn’t simply pass the problem onto others.”

 

A personal encounter with a beggar named Alan led Snaiderbaur to realize that lack of human

connection among the homeless was a poverty that wasn’t being addressed by social programs. Respecting the inherent dignity of all people, therefore, became the cornerstone of One City Mission, and it’s instilled in all of their volunteers. “We believe in the power of authentic connections, and that becomes the key to providing essential support to the most vulnerable,” Snaiderbaur explained. “We may not possess the power to single- handedly end wars or eradicate poverty, but we can’t afford to wait for better circumstances to recognize God’s presence in the lives of the poor.”

 

The Virtue of Fortitude

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines Fortitude as “the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good.” A mix of courage and resolve, Fortitude means that when the going gets tough, the tough stick with it, whatever the personal cost. In the moral life, there are going to be countless temptations to give up or take the easy way out. The virtue of Fortitude helps us move through our fear, even fear of death, to stand firm in trials and persecutions.

 

Venerable Cardinal József Mindszenty was a Hungarian priest and bishop who spent the last

years of his life in exile because of his refusal to bend to totalitarian regimes. Because he spoke

out against atrocities, he was imprisoned and tortured under both the Nazi occupation and

the Communist government, two dark chapters in Hungary’s history.

 

In the late 1940s, Cardinal Mindszenty was sentenced to life in prison for opposing communism.

In 1956, during a popular uprising, he was released from prison and sought asylum in the U.S. Embassy, where he remained for 15 years to avoid being re-arrested. Like many brave priests

and Christians in Eastern Europe during that era, he never stopped standing up for his beliefs and for the Christians in his diocese, despite the personal danger to himself.

 

The Virtue of Temperance

In blacksmithing, tempering is the process of making a metal stronger through changing its

properties on a molecular level. In the spiritual life, Temperance is the virtue that does the same to the person. It’s a recognition that being human means we come with desires that can easily overrun our reason and best intentions. Temperance is the moderation of pleasure for a higher good. Venerable Matt Talbot (1856-1925) spent his whole life in Ireland. As a young boy, he fell into drinking, and by the time he was 13, he was a fullblown alcoholic. For 15 years, his relationships, health, and well-being deteriorated. He was, many

 

The Virtue of Faith

Faith is belief in God and all that He has said and revealed to us. It is a gift from God that is our gift back to Him. Author Scott Hahn notes that faith should radiate out through our thoughts, words, and actions to encourage others and point them towards God.

 

When Bishop John Dolan began serving the people of the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona, one of his goals was to create small groups where people could grow in both faith and friendship. In 2022, he launched Christ in Our Neighborhood (CION) to make that dream a reality. As reported in The Catholic Sun, Jean Loudenslagel has become an enthusiastic supporter of CION. At least once a month, she welcomes her fellow parishioners, ranging in age from 30s to 80s, to sit around her dining room table and reflect on Scripture and life.

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CION’s reach and effectiveness continue to grow, helping to make faith a guiding force in more people’s lives—and giving them the means to take that journey of faith together. said, a lost cause. In a story published by Aleteia, author Meg Hunter-Kilmer wrote of Talbot’s sudden

conversion. One day, at age 28, he became disgusted by his actions and the way he had been

living. He returned home to his mother and “took the pledge,” swearing to give up drinking for good. Hunter-Kilmer noted, “Matt’s heart had been seized, first by misery, then by remorse, and soon by love. He made his first confession in years and returned to the Sacraments. He promised sobriety for three months, then six, then for all his life. He worked even harder at his blue-collar jobs and gave the money he would have spent on beer to the poor. He went to Mass daily, lived simply, and performed powerful acts of penance and asceticism.”

 

Talbot spent the next 40 years working in Dublin and cultivating his faith. He never drank again. By recognizing his problem and cultivating the virtue of Temperance, today he is on the road to sainthood.

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The Virtue of Hope

Hope involves aligning our lives, goals, and aspirations towards heaven and eternal happiness with God. It is the antidote to discouragement and disillusionment, those dark moments where we feel all may be lost. Hope is the light that keeps us moving forward, in the confidence that what was revealed and promised through Christ is attainable with God’s help, grace, mercy, and love.

 

As reported in the Pittsburgh Catholic, a woman named Gina endured “a life of abuse and trafficking” at the hands of her ex-husband, who shot her when she tried to escape from him. Thankfully, she didn’t die. Instead, she found help and renewal at Catholic Charities.

 

Gina said, “Catholic Charities gave me hope again. I wouldn’t be here today without [them] and my faith. They didn’t judge me. They took me in and found me a safe space. They helped me with medical care, counseling, and even helped me find an apartment…It is because of the Lord that I am here right now…I know He has my back.”

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The Virtue of Charity

All the aforementioned virtues culminate in Charity, the proper love of God and our fellow man. There is no better evangelist for Charity than St. Paul, whose famous First Letter to the Corinthians summarizes Charity as the life-force behind all good actions.

 

This idea was captured by Auxiliary Bishop John Bonnici as he blessed a new storage facility for the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s food pantry in Elmsford, New York. As quoted by The Good Newsroom, the bishop said, “Jesus told us…’When I was thirsty, you gave Me drink.

 

When I was hungry, you gave Me food.’…Those [words] are not part of some political platform. Those are part of the gospel, and that is the gospel mandate that we all are called to embrace every single day.” When we let Charity become the love that binds us together, animating our actions (and interactions), we become players in the great drama of salvation. With God as the author and director, we each have our own unique voice to add to the chorus. And by practicing the seven heavenly virtues, we can catch glimpses of the glory—and the Kingdom—to come.

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