Skip to main content

The Way Forward - Leading A Virtuous Life - Part 5 Moral Virtues ► Fortitude

Image
By
+
JMJ


This is not a reference to intestinal fortitude that is required to read Cardinal Kasper et al's writings. It is a reference to the virtue by which one endures the hardships that God sends us in life and specifically those that accompany this crisis of the Church.

These could include the separation from loved ones over Catholic principles (divorce, communion in the hand, priestesses, New Mass, Four V2 Things), or just trying to live as a Catholic in a Godless world (note this is worse than living in a pagan world ...)


First the summary diagram:







Fortitude

Just as temperance virtues remove from the will obstacles to rational good arising from sensuous pleasure, fortitude removes from the will those obstacles arising from the difficulties of doing what reason requires.

In short fortitude is the virtue by which one endures dangers and difficulties, even death itself, and is never dissuarded by fear from the pursuit of good.

Annexed Virtues

Patience disposes us to bear present evils with equanimity; the patient man is one who endures present evils in such a way as not to be inordinately cast down by them.

Munificence disposes us to incur great expenses for the suitable doing of a great work. This differs from liberality, since it deals not with ordinary expenses / donations, but those that are great. The the munificent man (or woman) is one who gives with royal generosity, in accordance with right reason.

Magnanimity implies a reaching out of the soul to great things, and regulates oneself in regards to honours. A magnanimous person aims at great works in every line of virtue, making it their purpose to do things worthy of great honour. Magnanimity is compatible with true humility.

"Magnanimity", says St. Thomas, "makes a man deem himself worthy of great honours in consideration of the Divine gifts he possesses; whilst humility makes him think little of himself in consideration of his own short-comings".

Perseverance, disposes us to continue striving / working for the accomplishment of good works in spite of the difficulties that are attached to them.

As a moral virtue it is not to be taken precisely for what is designated as final perseverance, that special gift of the predestined by which one is found in the state of grace at the moment of death.

It is used here to designate that virtue which disposes one to continuance in any virtuous work whatsoever.

Application in Today's World

I will try to be succinct.

In this crisis we need to be patient with God as He will resolve this crisis in His own time and manner. Too many dogmatize their opinions on how this crisis will be solved.

We also need to be patient with everyone affected by this crisis, Traditional and non-Traditional Catholics alike.  If we lose patience with them, then all good you may have done will be lost. (mea culpa).

This crisis will require much generosity in order to help Catholics survive this crisis. This can take the form of supporting a young (or old) man in the seminary, a seminary building project, your local chapel / parish.

We also need to realize that this crisis is our time to save our souls and those who we come into contact with. We need to do great things in a great manner, that is what is demanded of us - even if this greatness is done quietly.

Obviously, we need to persevere, striving to accomplish the good works that God has set us upon.  How do we know they're good: Examine them in the light of Catholic Principles (see link for a sample) and if you find they aren't aligned - then they aren't good!

P^3

Further Reading


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
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Father, Should I Attend That Mass?" Advice on Attending Non-SSPX Latin Masses

By
 + JMJ I see that the 'resistors' are in a tizzy because Fr. Robinson used them as an example instead of the sedevacantists. What is interesting is that you can apply the exact same reasons against going to a sede mass as that of the 'resistors'. Namely: On the other extreme are those situations where an SSPX priest knows that a certain non-SSPX traditionalist venue is a grave danger to the faith . Frankly, most, if not all, of the Resistance Masses would fall into this category. In many cases, the behavior of these priests has been and continues to be scandalous, by their (A) spirit, their (B) preaching, and their indiscriminate conferral of the (C) priesthood and (D) episcopacy. To attend a Mass with such ongoing scandals poses a serious danger to the souls of the faithful. Yep, looking at A,B,C and D the shoe fits. On this basis the "resistors" = "sedevacantists". P^3 Courtesy of SSPX.org   A companion article to a recent "Questions with ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Correcting Caricatures of the SSPX

By
 + JMJ Introduction First, a little background on the FSSP St. John Vianney Chapel in Mission Hill Kansas.  After the 1988 consecrations and the foundation of the FSSP there was a consistent trend of Dioceses allowing the SSPX to run chapels and churches near SSPX locations. As with any 'organizational change' there were those who didn't agree with the change and no longer sought the sacraments from the SSPX. I heard from friends that in that era there was a lot of anger and tension (on both sides) between the St. Mary's SSPX and Mission Hill FSSP.  Second, there have been caricatures of the SSPX position (some are evident below) in which personal opinions of SSPX priests and laity are taken as the official position or conflated with those of sedevacantists or 'resistance'. Recent Perspectives of the SSPX Position In the shadow of the consecrations a fever pitch accusations and opinions how surfaced - many of which include caricatures of the SSPX positions, of w...
Post a Comment
Read more

SSPX: Why Is the SSPX So Criticized?

By
 + JMJ As long as you are ok with what happens in other Catholic Churches, Traditional Catholics will be left 'alone'.  This is a paraphrase of words spoken by an Archbishop to Traditional Catholics (with a sprinkling of SSPX) who had requested the Traditional Latin Mass under Summorum Pontificum. This reflects that attitude of the Church towards anyone who takes issue with some of the ambiguities of Vatican II and the post-conciliar magisterium.  If you reject the papacy but are ok with V2, the New Mass, and what Rome has stated since 1965 - then you are welcome. Question some of the more abiguous statements and ask for Rome to realise that a circle is not a square - then you are in for a world of hurt. This is where the SSPX exists and has existed from almost its very first moments. Pointing out contradictions with previous magisterium is not acceptable - under any condition. Why? Because it will cause the whole V2 house of cards to fall. I guess only when the contradic...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stories: Early Days of Tradition Part 8 - Convention Centre Chapel

By
 + JMJ I came to Tradition a few years after they had bought a chapel. My wife told me of the earlier years when Fr. Normandin would come to town and Mass would be held in a room at the convention centre.  He'd start by blessing the room and then proceed with Mass. This went on for a while before the one of the faithful found a small hall that would suit just fine. They pooled their money and bought the building.  Then came the work as the retiree's refinished the floor, setup the sactuary. Oh, did I mention that I heard that the hall had been used by a motorcycle gang? The floor needed a lot of work.  I remember seeing pictures of the founders working to make the hall into a fitting place for the Sacrifice of the Mass. That little chapel would be a refuge like many others serviced by Fr. Normandin.  From Thunderbay, Ontrario to Nanaimo, British Columbia - the SSPX chapels are all the results of Fr. Normandin's missionary work in those desperate times. Without h...
Post a Comment
Read more

How many more must die for the throne? or How to combat FUD!

By
 + JMJ How many more must die for the throne? (Movie Quote: Prince Caspian) The Spread of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt I've seen a lot of FUD spreading across the intergnat on various stats etc.   So let's put this in context ... especially the perspective of those people in positions of authority who need to make decisions to protect the lives of their citizens. Yep, this is going to be that type of post.  Like it or not the leaders of our governments have their authority from God.  So, as Catholics should know, you need to have a very good reason to deliberately disobey the orders of their superiors. This is basic St. Thomas Aquinas ... so don't blame me for discussing things from a Catholic perspective. The leaders of our countries have taken action to protect the vulnerable of our countries.   As much as the young and not-so-young may whine and complain - I have to ask how many more of our elderly have to die? What the armchair virologists and ec...
10 comments
Read more