The Way Forward - Leading A Virtuous Life - Part 3 Moral Virtues ► Justice

JMJ

Justice is a concept that I believe many think of in terms of legal systems, but are ignorant of Justice as a moral virtue. The overarching concept is in every interaction to give everyone (God and man) what they deserve, be it respect, obedience to our duties, being generous.

Moral Virtues - Justice

Moral virtues are those which perfect our will and "sensuous" appetite. As appetite and reason have distinct activities, it is necessary that both reason and the appetitive powers be well disposed by the respective habits of intellectual and moral virtue. The moral virtues exceed the intellectual, except prudence, as they give not only the facility, but also the right use of the facility, for well- doing.

So moral virtues are virtues absolutely, so when we say that a man is good (without qualification), we mean morally good. As the proper function of the moral virtues is to rectify the appetitive powers, i.e. to dispose them to act in accordance with right reason, there are principally three moral virtues: justice, which perfects the rational appetite or will; fortitude and temperance, which moderate the lower or sensuous appetite. Prudence, as we have observed, is called a moral virtue, not indeed essentially, but by reason of its subject matter, inasmuch as it is directive of the acts of the moral virtues.

Justice regulates our relations with other people, by disposing us to respect the rights of others and giving everyone what they deserve.

Annexed Virtues

Religion regulates our relations with God, disposing us to pay/offer Him the worship that creatures owes to their Creator.

Piety disposes us to the fulfillment of duties which we owe to our parents and country (patriotism).

Surprised? I know I was at first, then I realized that the fulfillment of duties to God is religion, here's a link to the Summa providing a better explanation. The word 'piety' seems to have shifted meaning in the last few decades.

Gratitude inclines us to recognize benefits the we have received.

Liberality restrains the immoderate affection for wealth by being generous with the resources we have available. This generally is focused on monetary wealth, but I believe that being generous with our time as well.

Affability is the ability to adapt to our fellow-men socially in order to behave appropriately towards each person.

All the moral virtues, as well as justice itself, regulate our dealings with others. However, in addition there are moral virtues which regulate our inner passions. Some passions are linked to our reason and spur us on to attain that which we reason tells us we should pursue. From this the virtues of temperance and fortitude regulate these passions. These two virtues will be the subject of the next two posts.

Application in Today's World

One of the defining vices of Western Culture is selfishness. This vice is expressed in many ways from birth control, abortion, euthanasia, the drop in religious vocations, Catholics abandoning the Faith, etc, etc,etc.

All of this is the result of a lack of virtue and a strong point is a lack of justice towards God and our fellow human beings.

For Catholics, it is necessary to practice Justice and its annexed virtues in order to not become obsessed with our own state (being persecuted etc).

Every person that we encounter deserves our help in working out their salvation. Hence the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

P^3

Reference

APA citation. Waldron, M.A. (1912). Virtue. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved July 27, 2015 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm

Comments

The myth of the Hermeneutic of Continuity - Rorate Caeli

+ JMJ Interestingly the complete acceptance of the Second Vatican Council (without reservations) is required of the SSPX. Just when people are starting to wonder how it came to this! Courtesy of Rorate Caeli P^3

A Look Back: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976

+ JMJ Looking back is important to understand why we are where we are in this crisis. Courtesy of RemnantNewsPaper P^3 FOR THE FIRST TIME ONLINE: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976 Written by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre Introduction by Michael J. Matt More than forty years ago—during the disastrous reign of Pope Paul VI, the latest candidate for a Vatican-issued Halo Award, by the way—my father, Walter L. Matt, organized the first large scale public reception in the U.S. for the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. It was held at the Radisson South Hotel, Minneapolis, on Tuesday, May 12, 1976, and its stated purpose was to assist the Archbishop in gaining a stronger foothold for the Society of St. Pius X in the States during the unprecedented crisis Blessed Pope Paul had helped unleash on the Church. On that occasion Archbishop Lefebvre delivered ...

Of the Church and the Pope - Fr. Calmel O.P.

+ JMJ Once again, looking back to see if the 'Traditional Catholics' in the early days of this crisis of the Church had a sufficient view to realize the roots of the crisis. The root: The Pope Hence when the Pope is 'righted' the Church will be 'righted'. P^3 Courtesy of SSPXasia Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. This essay by Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. (1914-75) helps us in these difficult times to preserve our love of the Church. More than 30 years after its first publication, this article retains all its relevance, so much so that it even seems to have been written for our time, in which the crisis in the Church deepens at an unprecedented pace. This essay will help the reader to think clearly, keep the Faith, and maintain serenity in the troubled times we are navigating. “My country has hurt m e,”wrote a young poet in 1944 during the purge 1 when the head of state [Charles De Gaulle] implacably pursued the sinister job that had been in the wo...

Canonical Mission and State of Emergency - A Response to Mr. John Salza - Part B

+ JMJ I was trying to think of a way to map out the time course I discussed in Part A of this article. Early this morning it came to me that this is more about obedience and duty than canon law. As is my wont, I mapped out my thoughts (see image) to draw linkages between the core concepts. My conclusion is that, at least subjectively, Archbishop Lefebvre had sufficient information to make good decisions concerning whether or not he was obliged to obey. I know that the Jesuits, some Sedevacantists and the priests that left over the years will not agree with my thoughts. So be it. The core pieces of information include: Attacks against the SSPX were launched because they kept the Tridentine Mass and the pre-conciliar understanding of the Truths of the Faith. The authorities in the Church were willing to go against the laws of the Church. The same authorities encouraged the various dangers to the Faith embedded in popular interpretations of ambiguo...

Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations - Courtesy of SSPX.org

+ JMJ In the blogosphere there are number of responses to this crisis in the Catholic Church that lead to conclusions that run counter to Catholic Doctrine and Dogmas - if taken to their logical conclusion. The validity of the New Rite of Episcopal consecrations is one such hotspot within more extreme sections of the 'traditionalist' culture. Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations Courtesy of SSPX.org Why the new rite of episcopal consecration is valid Introduction This comprehensive study was compiled to settle a debate that has been circulating in traditional Catholic circles. Some writers have examined the new rite of episcopal consecration and concluded that it must be invalid. Since this would cause manifest problems if it were true and due to the heightened awareness of such a theory, we present a study of this question concluding that it is valid. Following the Council, in 1968 a new rite for the ordination of bishops was promulg...

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