VIRTUE

Is a habitual & firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but also to give the best of himself.

Virtues are also God-given powers Holiness made easy. A good operative habit. The good use of our freedom The purpose of the LAW is to lead us to virtue. Develops through obedience to just laws.*

ACQUIRED VIRTUES – through the light of reason; as a good operative habit. INFUSED VIRTUES – through the light of GRACE

Theological Virtues The cardinal virtues & other virtues are rooted in the THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES which are the very foundations of Christian life. These are: FAITH, HOPE, & LOVE.

FAITH Empowers us to believe in God & all that God has said & revealed. HOPE Helps us to desire heaven & eternal happiness, trusting firmly in Christ’s promises & relying, not on our own efforts but on the help & graces of the Holy Spirit. It gives us the strength to carry on.

LOVE Charity or Love enables us to love God above everything for his own sake and to love our neighbor as God loves us. This is the virtue which perfectly binds together all other virtues. We cannot work for justice without love. To be just is to be loving and vice versa.

Prudence Is good common sense. “Right reason in action” –St. Thomas A. Helps us to discover what is good in every situation & helps us to choose the right ways of achieving it. A prudent person always seeks the most loving & just thing to do in a given circumstance.

Prudence The exercise of conscience is always guided by PRUDENCE. It is the capacity for DICERNMENT. It formulates & imposes the correct dictates of reason. “What is the best way for me, in this situation, to do the right thing?” The prudent person must investigate the situation & take counsel from others.

Prudence presupposes the ff. qualities: Knowledge of moral principles Ability to make rational inferences Vision or foresight Ability to weigh circumstances Ability to anticipate obstacles & plan to surmount them. Ability to decide.

Fortitude Gives us the firmness, strength, & courage to deal with temptations, difficulties, & dangers in doing what is right and true. It is spiritual courage to do what is right, helping us conquer fear, even of death in defending a just cause.

Temperance Moderates the attraction of pleasures & provides balance in the use of created goods. Is the virtue that enables us to control our appetites for these goods (food, drink, sexual pleasure…) & use them in God-intended ways. We develop this virtue by acts of self- denial.

The Virtue of Justice It is the moral & cardinal virtue by which we give God & our neighbor what is their due by right.

4 TYPES OF JUSTICE: 1. Social Justice Applies the Gospel message of Jesus to the structures, systems, & laws of society in order to guarantee the rights of individuals. To contribute, participate in the social, political & economic institutions of society.

2. COMMUTATIVE JUSTICE – is the justice of exchange. It calls for fairness in agreements & exchanges between individuals or private social groups. It requires respect of persons in our economic transactions, contracts or promises.

Commutative Justice requires that You get what you pay for. It also obliges that you pay what you get. Responsibly fulfill our obligations.

3. DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE Is justice that guarantees the common welfare. It involves sharing. It sees to the just distribution of the goods of creation that God intends for us all to use & share. The Universal Destination of Earthly Goods – The right of having a share of earthly goods.

PCP II: “God destined the earth and all it contains for ALL peoples so that all created things would be shared by all under the guidance of justice & charity.” Basic human dignity requires that each person has a right to enough of the earth’s goods to live a truly human life.

The Right to Private Property Has an intrinsically social function. The person’s social responsibility to share his access to the goods of the earth with those who lack the most basic necessity Paul VI indicated the limits the right to private property: “Private property is not an absolute & unconditional right. No one is justified in keeping for his exclusive use what he does not need, when others lack necessities.” (Pop.Prog., 23)

As social beings & members of God’s family, we pay special attention to the weak & the poor.

Preferential option & love for the poor. This is a fundamental Christian option, inspired by the teachings & examples of Jesus.

Vs. a life of wanton extravagance while a great number of people exist in subhuman conditions.

St. Basil : “He who takes the clothes from a man is a thief. He who does not clothe the indigent, when he can, does he deserve another name but thief? The bread that you keep belongs to the hungry; to the naked the coat that you hide in your coffers; to the shoeless, the shoes that are dusty at your home; to the needy the silver that you hide. In brief, you offend all those that can be helped by you.”

The Role of the Government The responsibility to make sure that everyone’s basic needs are met. A major reason we pay TAXES: to guarantee that all citizens will get an education, have police & fire protection, have access to health care & disability compensation in times of forced unemployment, and the like…

It is a matter of Proper allocation of budget & Ending of Corruption.

4. LEGAL JUSTICE Is the other side of distributive justice. Requires that citizens obey the laws of society.

The moral virtues grow through: 1. Education --- K nowledge 2. Deliberate acts -- A ction 3. Perseverance -- P ractice DIVINE GRACE purifies & elevates them.

References/Sources: CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH A PILGRIM’S NOTES by Fr. Fausto Gomez, O.P.