We grow in the virtues of faith, hope and charity by nourishing them through reading the Word of God, begging the Lord in daily prayer to increase them in us, receiving the Sacraments to strengthen us to persevere in living the virtues, studying the Faith in an ongoing way, cooperating with the Holy Spirit, following His call to do what is good and shun what is evil, and by serving our neighbor through works of charity. This relationship consists of acting as God’s children by believing in Him and everything that He has revealed to us hoping in His promises because we can trust Jesus, as the Scripture says, “He Who made the promise is trustworthy” (Hebrews 9:23) and loving our neighbor because of our love for Christ. The virtues of faith, hope, and charity form the foundation of the Christian life because they bestow on us the capacity to live in a relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
These virtues are supernatural, meaning that they are above our nature.
The Theological Virtues of faith, hope, and charity are infused along with sanctifying grace into the soul of the person at Baptism. Therefore, Part I of the Virtue Program is comprised of these virtues.
The “cornerstone of the moral life” is based upon the Theological and the Cardinal Virtues. It is through living the virtues that a person develops moral character because the virtuous person “pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions” (CCC 1803). Our Diocesan Virtue Program to be used in the Catholic schools and parishes, and the home connection for the parents will help in the development of the virtues in the young people. (The Heart of Virtue, Lessons from Life and Literature Illustrating the Beauty and Value of Moral Character, Donald de Marco, Ignatius Press). A soldier without courage, a doctor without care, a teacher without patience, a parent without prudence, a spouse without fidelity, a priest without faith, a leader without determination, a magistrate without integrity, and a friend without loyalty are all partners to futility, not because they lack love, but because they lack the virtue to express it. No person, no matter how loving he claims to be, can be of any help to himself or anyone else on a moral level if he does not posses virtue. “Just as fi re hoses are needed to convey and direct water from its source to where the fi re rages, virtue is needed to establish a connective between the source of love and the place where love is needed. At the core of all virtue is love but actions are needed to express this love. “A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good” (Compendium, question n. “Christ’s gift of salvation offers us the grace necessary to persevere in the pursuit of the virtues” (CCC 1811). However, developing the virtues is not something that we simply accomplish through our own will power. Living virtuous lives helps us to live in true peace and joy, because we “not only perform good acts but give the best of ourselves” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1803) Therefore, we should all want to pursue this goal. We must combat, above all, selfishness and pride which results in our lack of perfect love for God and our neighbor. To access the 12 Virtues, click on the hamburger icon in the upper-right hand corner.Įach of us can recognize that our human nature is wounded due to the effects of Original Sin because it is very difficult to maintain moral balance in our lives. Importance of the Virtue Program Why do we need to develop the virtues?
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